Jonathon Cooper (born January 8, 1998) is an American professional

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for the

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of the

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(NFL). He played

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for the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

Early life

Cooper was born on January 8, 1998, in

Gahanna, Ohio Gahanna is a city in northeastern Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. History Gahanna was founded al ...

. His mother, Jessica Moorman, who was 17 years old at the time, was a high school student with college aspirations who worked a part-time job at an accounting firm. Initially, Moorman felt she was not ready for the responsibility of raising a child and planned to put Cooper up for adoption. However, after Cooper was born nine weeks

premature Premature may refer to: * ''Premature'' (2014 film), an American comedy film * ''Premature'' (2019 film), an American romantic drama film * '' PREMature'', a 2015 British television drama miniseries See also * Premature aging, of an organism * ...

and weighing only 4 pounds, she decided to raise him herself. After spending two months with Cooper in the intensive care unit, she would go on to graduate from high school and earn her college degree. Cooper began playing football at 6 years old, citing his mother's work ethic as a primary inspiration. Prior to beginning high school at Gahanna-Lincoln, Cooper and his mother created a workout circuit for him in their basement. During his freshman year, Cooper was diagnosed with

Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPWS) is a disorder due to a specific type of problem with the electrical system of the heart involving an accessory pathway able to conduct electrical current between the atria and the ventricles, thus byp ...

, a rare heart condition that often manifests in an abnormally fast heartbeat.

College career

Cooper played college football at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

from 2016 to 2020. Over 45 games during his career, he had 75 tackles and 10 sacks. Cooper was the first Ohio State player to ever wear the number 0, which was awarded to him for his leadership qualities.

Professional career

Two days before the NFL draft, doctors discovered an

atrial fibrillation Atrial fibrillation (AF, AFib or A-fib) is an Heart arrhythmia, abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) characterized by fibrillation, rapid and irregular beating of the Atrium (heart), atrial chambers of the heart. It often begins as short periods ...

in Cooper's heart. His heart rhythm was particularly abnormal, and would ultimately require three separate heart procedures to treat. Heading into the

2021 NFL draft The 2021 NFL draft was the 86th National Football League draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland, Ohio from April 29 to May ...

, Cooper expected to be picked somewhere between the third and fifth rounds. However, his health complications caused him to fall to the seventh round, where he was eventually drafted 239th overall by the

. Broncos

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George Paton commented that he and his staff were aware of Cooper's health complications, but were enamored by his motor and leadership. After missing rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp due to the heart procedures, Cooper was finally cleared to attend training camp after being sidelined for a month. On June 15, 2021, he signed his four-year rookie contract with the Broncos. Ahead of the 2023 season, Cooper changed his jersey number from 53 to 0, the number he wore at Ohio State. Cooper lead the Broncos in sacks in 2023, with eight and a half. On November 4, 2024, Cooper signed a four-year, $60 million extension with the Broncos after starting the

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with five and a half sacks through nine games. On March 21, 2025, Cooper's contract was restructured to clear cap space.

References

External links

Denver Broncos bioOhio State Buckeyes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Jonathon Living people 1998 births Denver Broncos players American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers Lincoln High School (Gahanna, Ohio) alumni Ohio State Buckeyes football players Players of American football from Franklin County, Ohio 21st-century American sportsmen