Jason Hill (born February 20, 1985) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
in the third round of the
2007 NFL Draft. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
.
He has been a member of 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
,
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, and
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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
.
Early years
Hill graduated from
Sacred Heart Cathedral in San Francisco in 2003. He played both football and basketball, and was runner-up for the 2003 San Francisco Player of the Year Award by the
San Francisco Examiner
The ''San Francisco Examiner'' is a newspaper distributed in and around San Francisco, California, and published since 1863.
Once self-dubbed the "Monarch of the Dailies" by then-owner William Randolph Hearst, and flagship of the Hearst Corporat ...
. San Francisco 49ers cornerback Eric Wright, who attended rival Archbishop Riordan High School, won the award.
College career
Hill played collegiately at
Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant unive ...
. In his last three seasons (2004–2006), he recorded 32 touchdown catches, breaking the school career-record of 22 set by
Hugh Campbell
Hugh Campbell (born May 21, 1941) is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Uni ...
(1960–62), and tying for second on Pac-10's all-time list. His 2,704 career receiving yards broke Campbell’s former school career-record of 2,452, and his 148 career receptions rank second in school history behind Campbell’s 176. He majored in Sociology.
Professional career
San Francisco 49ers
Hill was selected in the third round of the
2007 NFL Draft by the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, his hometown team. At the 2007 NFL Combine, Hill ran a 4.32 in the 40-yard dash, making him the second-fastest receiver in the draft behind
Yamon Figurs
Yamon Figurs (born January 10, 1983) is a former gridiron football wide receiver and return specialist. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas State.
Figurs was als ...
(4.30). Hill played sparingly in his rookie year with the 49ers, appearing in only five games due to lingering hamstring and groin injuries. He finished the season with one reception for six yards and four special teams tackles.
In 2008, Hill came on strong in the second half of the season when
Shaun Hill
Shaun Christopher Hill (born January 9, 1980) is a former American football quarterback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college fo ...
replaced
J. T. O'Sullivan
John Thomas O'Sullivan (born August 25, 1979) is an American former professional gridiron football quarterback who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), two seasons in NFL Europe and one season in the Canadian Football Leagu ...
as the 49ers starting quarterback. He finished the season with 30 catches for 317 yards and two touchdowns. Hill again played sparingly in 2009, being inactive for most of the first half of the season. His best game was in Week 10 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, when he caught 4 passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns. He finished the season with 9 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns. After the 2010 preseason Hill was one of the players to be cut during final cuts. On September 14, Hill was re-signed by the 49ers due to injured
Ted Ginn Jr. Hill was released by the team on November 16.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On November 17, 2010, he was claimed off waivers by 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. The Jaguars waived Hill on November 30, 2011, despite him being their second leading receiver.
Denver Broncos
Hill signed with the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
on February 15, 2012. He was released by the team on August 31, 2012.
New York Jets
Hill was signed by 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on October 3, 2012 after
Santonio Holmes
Santonio Holmes Jr. (born March 3, 1984) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft after playing college football at Ohio State University. In 2009, Holmes w ...
was placed on injured reserve due to a
Lisfranc injury
A Lisfranc injury, also known as Lisfranc fracture, is an injury of the foot in which one or more of the metatarsal bones are displaced from the tarsus.
The injury is named after Jacques Lisfranc de St. Martin, a French surgeon and gynecolo ...
. He was released on October 27, 2012, to make room for
Hayden Smith
Hayden Smith (born 10 April 1985) is an Australian retired professional rugby union player who played for Saracens FC and the United States national rugby union team. Smith also spent two years playing professional American football as a tight ...
's call-up from the practice squad. On November 6, 2012, he was re-signed by the Jets. Hill was waived on November 20, 2012 with a non-football injury designation, a claim which Hill disputes.
References
External links
Washington State Cougars bioSan Francisco 49ers bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Jason
1985 births
Living people
Players of American football from San Francisco
American football wide receivers
Washington State Cougars football players
San Francisco 49ers players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Denver Broncos players
New York Jets players