Kareem Jackson
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Kareem Jackson (born April 10, 1988) is an American professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...
. Jackson was selected by the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
in the first round of the
2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
. He has also played for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
and
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
.


Early life

Jackson attended Westside High School in
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
. As a senior, he mainly played
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
and compiled 1,436 rushing yards with 20 rushing touchdowns, and nine receptions for 256 yards with two receiving touchdowns. Following high school, Jackson attended
Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private school, private, all-male, college preparatory Christian school, Christian Military school, military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is co ...
, where he converted from running back to cornerback. Considered a four-star recruit by
Rivals.com Rivals.com (stylized as ''rivals'') is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was found ...
, Jackson was listed as the No. 17 prep school prospect in 2007.


College career

As a
true freshman The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...
, Jackson played in 13 games with 12 starts for the
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the Na ...
. He ranked second on the team with three interceptions on the season and was fourth for pass breakups with four. Jackson recorded 66 tackles on the season, which was fifth-best on the team. He subsequently received Freshman All-American honors. Jackson was eighth on the team in tackles with 44 (including 28 solo) as a sophomore in 2008. He registered ten pass breakups on the year with one interception. As a junior in 2009, Jackson started in all 14 games and had the fifth-most tackles on the team (49). He made one interception and broke up 13 passes during the 2009 season. On January 15, 2010, Jackson declared he would forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.


Professional career


Pre-draft

Coming out of Alabama, Jackson was invited to the
NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
and completed the entire workout and all required drills. He was satisfied with his combine performance and chose to only partake in positional drills at Alabama's
Pro Day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...
. After he performed well, he was projected by the majority of analysts and scouts to be drafted in the first or second round. In a deep cornerback draft, he was ranked the fifth-best cornerback and 32nd overall prospect by NFLDraftScout.com. He was listed as the fourth-best cornerback on WalterFootball.com's scouting report. ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' also listed him as the fourth-best cornerback in the draft, behind
Joe Haden Joseph Walter Haden III (born April 14, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, earning unanimous All ...
, Kyle Wilson, and
Devin McCourty Devin McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Kni ...
.


Houston Texans (first stint)


2010

The
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
selected Jackson in the first round (20th overall) of the
2010 NFL draft The 2010 NFL draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 NFL draft, draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, with the first ...
. He was only the second cornerback taken in 2010, behind Florida's
Joe Haden Joseph Walter Haden III (born April 14, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, earning unanimous All ...
(seventh overall). On July 30, 2010, the Texans signed him to a five-year, $13.52 million contract that includes $7.36 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $875,500. Jackson entered his rookie training camp as the starting right cornerback opposite veteran
Glover Quin Glover Freeman Quin Jr. (born January 15, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the New Mexico Lobos, and was selected by the Houston Texa ...
. The former made his professional regular season debut in Houston's season-opener against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, recording four solo tackles and a pass deflection in the 34–24 victory. On October 10, he recorded five solo tackles and his first career interception off quarterback
Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...
, returning it for 23 yards in the 34–10 loss to the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
. The following week, Jackson racked up a season-high seven combined tackles in a 35–32 win over the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. In Week 9 against the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
, he made six combined tackles and intercepted quarterback
Philip Rivers Philip Michael Rivers (born December 8, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Chargers franchise. He played college football for the ...
in a 29–23 loss. On December 13, he had a season-high six solo tackles in a 34–28 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. Jackson finished his rookie season with a career-high 71 combined tackles, 10 pass deflections, and two interceptions, while starting in all 16 regular season games. The Texans finished 6–10 and were ranked last in the league in passing defense.
Football Outsiders Football Outsiders (FO) was a website started in July 2003 which focused on advanced statistical analysis of the National Football League (NFL). The site was run by a staff of regular writers, who produced a series of weekly columns using both t ...
ranked Jackson 68th (47%) in success rating and PFF gave him a -10.3 in pass coverage. His average QB rating for opposing quarterbacks was 111.8.


2011

Jackson entered training camp in 2011 competing with
Johnathan Joseph Johnathan Lee Joseph (born April 16, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected by the Cinci ...
, Jason Allen, and Brice McCain to retain the starting cornerback position. New defensive coordinator
Wade Phillips Harold Wade Phillips (born June 21, 1947) is a former American football coach. He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Roughnecks and San Antonio Brahmas. He has also served as interim head coa ...
named Jackson the left cornerback to start the regular season opposite newly-signed Joseph. In the Texans' season opener against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, Jackson made one tackle as the Texans routed the Colts 34–7. The following week, he was demoted to backup and Jason Allen was given the start. Allen showed good coverage, played well, and made a game-sealing interception in a 17–10 victory over the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in Week 4; Jackson was inactive for this game. However, Jackson reclaimed his starting position in Week 6. He finished the game with four solo tackles in a 29–14 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
. On November 6, 2011, Jackson recorded a season-high six solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 30-12 victory over the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. On December 4, he made three solo tackles and two pass deflections, and intercepted quarterback Matt Ryan for his lone interception of the season in a 17–10 win over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
. He finished the season with 42 combined tackles (37 solo), a forced fumble, an interception, and six deflected passes in 15 games with 13 starts. The
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
finished the 2011 season with a 10– 6 record and received a playoff berth. On January 7, 2012, Jackson appeared in his first career postseason game and made four combined tackles in a 31–10 victory over the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
in the AFC wild card game. The following game, he recorded four solo tackles and deflected a pass in a 20–13 loss to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the divisional round. Jackson received a coverage rating of -9.5 from PFF and was ranked 67th (45%) in success rate among qualified cornerbacks by
Football Outsiders Football Outsiders (FO) was a website started in July 2003 which focused on advanced statistical analysis of the National Football League (NFL). The site was run by a staff of regular writers, who produced a series of weekly columns using both t ...
.


2012

Jackson entered the 2012 season slated as the starting cornerback along with Joseph. He started in the Texans' season opener against the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
and finished the 30–10 victory with five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted quarterback
Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, playing wide receiver until his junior year, and was selected eighth overall by the Miami Dol ...
's pass after it was tipped by J. J. Watt. On September 23, 2012, Jackson recorded a season-high seven solo tackles, an assisted tackle, and deflected a pass in a 31–25 win over the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. The following week, he made two solo tackles, deflected two passes, and intercepted Tennessee Titans' quarterback
Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Seattle Seahawks. He played college football for t ...
, returning it 63 yards for his first career touchdown; the Texans routed the Titans 38–14. In Week 5, he had one tackle and intercepted a pass from quarterback
Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...
in a 23–17 win over the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
. It was Jackson's first time with back-to-back interceptions in two consecutive games. On December 30, he had a season-high eight combined tackles and a pass deflection in a 28–16 loss to the Colts. He finished the 2012 regular season with 53 combined tackles (47 solo), a career-high 16 pass deflections, a career-high four interceptions, and a touchdown, in 16 games with 15 starts. Houston finished first in the AFC South with a 12-4 record, but were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
in the Divisional round. Jackson had the best statistical season of his career in 2012. In comparison, Johnathan Joseph was named to the Pro Bowl, although he had only five more combined tackles than Jackson, and had two interceptions to Jackson's four. He was ranked the seventh-best cornerback in coverage rating (+13.4) according to
Pro Football Focus Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
. ''Football Outsiders Almanac 2013'' ranked him twelfth in success rate (59%) among all qualified cornerbacks and the QB rating for opposing quarterbacks targeting Jackson was an average of 69.6.


2013

Jackson and Joseph returned in 2013 as the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
' starting cornerback duo. He started the season off with three solo tackles in the Texans' season-opening 31–28 victory over the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
. The following game, Jackson recorded a season-high six solo tackles and made two pass deflections in a 30–24 win against the Titans. During the third quarter, Jackson was flagged for unnecessary roughness after hitting Titans' receiver
Kendall Wright Kendall Thomas Wright (born November 12, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears, earning All-American honors in 20 ...
, who was deemed a defenseless receiver at the time. Three days later, the NFL fined the former $42,000 for the hit, as it was deemed "dirty", and Wright was diagnosed with a concussion. Jackson missed Weeks 11 and 12 after suffering a fractured rib that limited his ability to play. Jackson finished the season with 56 combined tackles and nine deflected passes in 14 games and starts. PFF gave him a -4.3 pass coverage grade and he allowed a 106.1 QBR. He was ranked 81st (42%) in success rate by Football Outsiders. The Houston Texans finished the season with a 2–14 record; head coach
Gary Kubiak Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for the Houst ...
was fired in Week 15.


2014

Jackson started the 2014 season-opener against the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
and made eight combined tackles in the 17–6 victory. The next week, he made two solo tackles and intercepted rookie quarterback
Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American former professional football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, receiving first-team All-Mou ...
, returning it 65 yards, in a 30–14 victory over the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
. On October 5, 2014, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles during a 20–17 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. On December 21, Jackson made one solo tackle and intercepted Baltimore Ravens' quarterback
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Delaware Fightin' Blue ...
twice as the Texans defeated the Ravens 25–13. He finished the first season under the Texans' new head coach Bill O'Brien with 56 combined (46 solo) tackles, nine pass deflections, and three interceptions in 13 games with as many starts.


2015

Jackson became an unrestricted
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
during the 2015 off-season and was one of the top free agent cornerbacks. On March 7, 2015, the Texans signed Jackson to a four-year, $34 million contract with $20 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $9 million. Entering training camp, he faced competition from first-round rookie Kevin Johnson, but Jackson and Joseph were able to retain their starting roles entering the regular season. Jackson started in the Texans' season-opener and made six solo tackles in a 27–20 loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. On October 18, Jackson made one solo tackle and left in the second quarter for the rest of the game with a left ankle injury; the Texans won 31–20 over the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
. He missed the next four games due to the injury. On November 29, he returned and made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
' quarterback
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is sec ...
in a 24–6 victory. In Week 14, Jackson racked up a season-high nine solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 27–6 loss to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. On January 3. 2016, he made three solo tackles, intercepted quarterback
Blake Bortles Robby Blake Bortles (born April 28, 1992) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the UCF ...
, and returned it for a 27-yard game-sealing touchdown as the Texans routed the Jaguars 30–6. He finished the season with 58 combined tackles (52 solo), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a touchdown in 12 games with 10 starts. Houston finished with a 9–7 record and finished first in the
AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 200 ...
. In the AFC wild card game, Jackson made seven combined tackles and deflected a pass as they lost to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
30–0.


2016

For the sixth consecutive season, he and Joseph retained their starting roles to begin the 2016 regular season. Jackson started the season-opener and made five combined tackles in a 23–14 win against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
. He missed Weeks 5 and 6 with a
hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
injury. On November 13, 2016, Jackson recorded six solo tackles and intercepted quarterback Bortles, returning it for a 42-yard touchdown in a 24–21 victory over the Jaguars. This was his second consecutive season with a pick-six off of Bortles. During a Week 14 matchup against the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
, Jackson made a season-high eight combined tackles in a 22–17 victory. He finished the season with 62 combined tackles (51 solo), four pass deflections, an interception, and a touchdown in 14 games with 13 starts. After the Texans finished first in the AFC South with a 9–7 record (for the second consecutive season), Jackson made four combined tackles in a 27–14 Wild Card Round victory over the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...
. They went on to the Divisional Round, where Houston lost 34–16 to the
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confe ...
-winning
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
; Jackson made another four combined tackles in the game.


2017

Throughout training camp, Jackson faced stiff competition from third-year Kevin Johnson. The former was ultimately surpassed on the depth chart and was named the Texans' slot cornerback to begin the regular season behind starting outside cornerbacks Johnson and Joseph. During Houston's 7–29 season-opening loss to the Jaguars, Jackson recorded six combined tackles. On September 14, Jackson caused Cincinnati Bengals' rookie wide receiver John Ross to fumble, which teammate
Jadeveon Clowney Jadeveon Davarus Clowney ( ; born February 14, 1993) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he won the Ted Hendricks Award, and was selected first overall by the Houst ...
recovered and returned for 49 yards to set up the Texans' offense on a field goal scoring drive. He was thrown into the starting lineup after Joseph left in the second quarter with a shoulder injury, and Johnson left after suffering a MCL sprain. Jackson led the Texans with seven combined tackles and had his first career sack on Bengals' quarterback
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "the Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, wher ...
. Jackson remained a starter in the absence of Johnson, who was ruled out for four-to-six weeks.


2018

In the offseason following organized team activities, HC O'Brien announced that Jackson would be moved to free safety full-time. The move was made after Jackson's struggles at cornerback the previous season, and starting free safety Andre Hal was diagnosed with
Hodgkin's lymphoma Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma in which cancer originates from a specific type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, where multinucleated Reed–Sternberg cells (RS cells) are present in the lymph nodes. The condition was named a ...
. Despite this statement, Jackson started in all 16 games at right cornerback alongside Joseph at left cornerback in 2018; third-round rookie
Justin Reid Justin Quintin Reid (born February 15, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal. He was selected by the Houston Texans ...
was free safety for the season, and Johnson only played in one game that season after suffering a concussion in the season opener.


Denver Broncos


2019

On March 13, 2019, Jackson signed a three-year $33 million deal with the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. New head coach
Vic Fangio Victor John Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American professional football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio also served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. A ...
saw Jackson's unutilized potential as strong safety and converted him to the role. In Week 6 against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
, Jackson recorded an interception off quarterback
Ryan Tannehill Ryan Timothy Tannehill III (born July 27, 1988) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies, playing wide receiver until his junior year, and was selected eighth overall by the Miami Dol ...
in the 16–0 win. This was his first interception of the season and as a member of the Broncos. In Week 14 against his former team, the Texans, Jackson recorded 11 tackles, intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback
Deshaun Watson Derrick Deshaun Watson (born September 14, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, leading the team to a national ...
, and received a lateral from teammate Jeremiah Attaochu via a fumble made by wide receiver
Keke Coutee Key'vantanie "Keke" Coutee (born January 14, 1997) is an American professional American football, football wide receiver. He played college football at Texas Tech Red Raiders football, Texas Tech and has played in the National Football League (N ...
; Jackson returned the ball for a 70-yard touchdown during the 38–24 win, earning him AFC Defensive Player of the Week. On December 17, Jackson was suspended for the final two games of the 2019 season, stemming from a September arrest for DUI. He was reinstated on December 30.


2020

In Week 17 against the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
, Jackson recovered a fumble lost by tight end Darren Waller and later intercepted a pass thrown by quarterback
Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American former professional football quarterback who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Fresno State Bulldogs, receiving first-team All-Mou ...
in a narrow 32–31 loss.


2021

On March 17, 2021, the Broncos declined the option on Jackson's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. On March 24, Jackson signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Broncos. In Week 2 against the Jaguars, he recorded an interception and a pass deflection off quarterback
Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospect ...
in a 23–13 win; teammate and first-round rookie
Patrick Surtain II Patrick Frank Surtain II ( ; born April 14, 2000) is an American professional American football, football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide football, ...
was able to make the same two plays. In Week 6, Jackson recorded 1.0 sack (his only of the season) on quarterback Derek Carr in a 24–34 loss to the Raiders.


2022

On April 11, 2022, Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Broncos. He finished the season with three pass deflections and two fumble recoveries in 17 games with as many starts.


2023

On May 15, 2023, Jackson re-signed with the Broncos on another one-year contract. Jackson received a $14,819 fine for an illegal hit on Las Vegas Raiders' wide receiver
Jakobi Meyers Jakobi Meyers (born November 9, 1996) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and signed with the New England Patr ...
in their Week 1 game. In a Week 2 loss to the
Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...
, he was ejected after an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against
tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...
Logan Thomas Logan Lamont Thomas Sr. (born July 1, 1991) is an American professional American football, football tight end. He was the starting quarterback while playing college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies football, Virginia Tech Hokies in the earl ...
, resulting in the latter getting a concussion. His hit on Thomas resulted in a $19,669 fine. Jackson received a third fine ($11,473) in as many games for unnecessary roughness in a Week 3 loss to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
. The league issued him a fine for $43,709, Jackson's fourth for the season, for unnecessary roughness stemming from a late hit on the ''
Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to ...
'' loss to the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. Following his second ejection that season in a Week 7 win for a hit on
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
' tight end
Luke Musgrave Lucas Stone Musgrave (born September 2, 2000) is an American professional football tight end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers. He is the nephew of football co ...
("defenseless receiver"), the NFL suspended Jackson for four games. They reduced the suspension to two games after Jackson appealed. In his first game back from suspension, Jackson made an illegal hit on
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
' quarterback
Joshua Dobbs Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American professional football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, and was selected by the Pitt ...
. Despite not being penalized in the game, the NFL clarified that Jackson's hit was illegal due to him lowering the crown of his helmet before the hit and issued him another four-game suspension the next day. The league denied Jackson's appeal for his second suspension, upholding their original four-game sentence. The Broncos released Jackson on December 25.


Houston Texans (second stint)

On December 26, 2023, Jackson was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans. Jackson and head coach DeMeco Ryans were teammates on the Texans during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.


Buffalo Bills

On July 30, 2024, Jackson signed with the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
. He was released as part of final roster cuts on August 27. Jackson was signed to the practice squad on August 28. Jackson was elevated from the practice squad on December 14 ahead of the Bills' 48-42 victory over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
, and recorded a combined 3 tackles from 32 snaps. During the 2025 NFL offseason, Jackson worked in a staff role at the Denver Broncos' rookie minicamp.


NFL career statistics


References


External links


Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Kareem 1988 births Living people Players of American football from Macon, Georgia American football cornerbacks American football safeties Alabama Crimson Tide football players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen Denver Broncos players Buffalo Bills players