According to Omar Navarro of chargers.com on Monday, the Los Angeles Chargers are bringing safety Tony Jefferson of Chula Vista, California out of retirement. Jefferson initially retired from the National Football League on May 25, 2023 to become a scouting intern with the Baltimore Ravens. He was there last year as the Ravens had the best record in the regular season at 13 wins and four losses.
However, there appeared to be a feeling that Jefferson, at age 32, had more to give. Ironically, he is now playing for new Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh of Toledo, Ohio. Jefferson has a lot of NFL experience playing under Jim Harbaugh’s brother John, as he played for the Ravens from 2017 to 2019, and again in 2021. Jefferson did not play the 2020 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The Chargers are the fifth National Football League team Jefferson has played for. In addition to his time with the Ravens, ge was also with the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2016, the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, and the New York Giants in 2022. In addition to playing the safety position, Jefferson has also played defensive back.
In 113 NFL regular season games, Jefferson has 492 combined tackles (370 solo tackles and 122 assisted tackles), 34 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits, four interceptions for 54 yards and one pick six, 24 pass deflections, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and 9.5 sacks. The interception return for a touchdown came in a 48-23 Cardinals win over the Chicago Bears on September 20, 2015. It was for 26 yards, and at the time put the Cardinals up 28-14. Undrafted, Jefferson played his college football at Oklahoma.
