Jonathan Earl Bostic II (born May 5, 1991) is an
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 wi ...
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
who is a free agent. He played
college football at
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
and was drafted by the
Chicago Bears in the second round of the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
. Bostic has also been a member of the
New England Patriots,
Detroit Lions,
Indianapolis Colts,
Pittsburgh Steelers,
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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
, and
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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.
Early life
Bostic was born in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
, to
John Bostic
Jonathan Earl Bostic Sr. (born October 6, 1962) is a former American football defensive back who played for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) from 1985 to 1987. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round of ...
and Jacqueline Bostic. His father was a defensive back for the
Detroit Lions from 1985 to 1987. After his father retired from the NFL, he gained his Doctor of Pharmacy degree and eventually relocated his family to
Wellington, Florida
Wellington is a village just west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. As of 2019, the city had a population of 65,398 according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the most populous village in the state. It is th ...
. Bostic attended
Palm Beach Central High School
Palm Beach Central High School is a high school located in Wellington, Florida in the Palm Beach County School District. Opened in 2003, Palm Beach Central currently has over 3,000 students (2,966 in the 2019-20 school year) enrolled in grades n ...
in Wellington, where he played for the Palm Beach Central Broncos high school football team.
College career
Bostic accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, where he played for coach
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...
and coach
Will Muschamp
William Lawrence Muschamp (born August 3, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He is the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of Georgia. He served as head football coach at the University of Florida fr ...
's
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...
teams from
2009 to
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
. During his college career, he started 32 of 51 games in which he played, recording 237 tackles, 7.5
quarterback sacks and five
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
s. Following his senior season in 2012, he was a second-team All-
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...
(SEC) selection. Bostic graduated in 2012 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree in Health, Education and Behavior.
Professional career
Chicago Bears
2013
The
Chicago Bears selected Bostic in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the
2013 NFL Draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
. Bostic was the seventh linebacker drafted in 2013.
On May 9, 2013, the Chicago Bears signed Bostic to a four-year,
$3.94 million
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
that includes a
signing bonus of $1.24 million.
Throughout training camp, Bostic competed to be the starting middle linebacker against veteran
D.J. Williams. Head coach
Marc Trestman
Marc Marlyn Trestman (born January 15, 1956) is an American football and Canadian football coach. He led the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) to back-to-back Grey Cup victories in 2009 and 2010, and another as head coac ...
named Bostic the backup middle linebacker to begin the regular season, behind D.J. Williams.
He made his professional regular season debut in the
Chicago Bears' season-opening 24–21 victory against the
Cincinnati Bengals. The following week, Bostic recorded his first career regular season tackle on
Cordarrelle Patterson
Cordarrelle Patterson ( ; born March 17, 1991), nicknamed "Flash", is an American football player for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, return specialist ...
during a 22-yard kick return in the second quarter of a 31–30 win against the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
in Week 2. On October 11, 2013, it was reported that starting middle linebacker
D.J. Williams was expected to miss the remainder of the season after tearing his pectoral muscle during the Bears' 26–21 victory against the
New York Giants the previous day. Head coach Marc Trestman named Bostic the starter for the remainder of the season. On October 20, 2013, Bostic earned his first career start and recorded eight combined tackles in the Bears' 45–41 loss to 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in Week 7. In Week 11, he recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception during a
23–20 overtime win against the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
. He intercepted a pass by quarterback
Joe Flacco that was intended for
Dallas Clark
Dallas Dean Clark (born June 12, 1979) is a former American football tight end who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Iowa, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was reco ...
in the second quarter. In Week 13, Bostic recorded a season-high ten combined tackles (six solo) and two sacks during a 23–20 overtime loss at the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...
. He made his first career sack on quarterback
Matt Cassel
Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...
for a three-yard loss in overtime. He finished his rookie season with a total of 57 combined tackles (45 solo), two sacks, a pass deflection, and an interception in 16 games and nine starts.
2014
![Jon Bostic bears 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/Jon_Bostic_bears_2014.jpg)
During training camp, Bostic and D.J. Williams competed against each other for the job as the starting middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator
Mel Tucker
Melvin Tucker II (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he has held since 2020. Previously, Tucker served as the head football coac ...
named Bostic the backup middle linebacker to begin the regular season, behind D.J. Williams.
On September 22, 2014, Bostic earned his first start of the season in place of outside linebacker
Shea McClellin. He recorded a season-high 13 combined tackles (six solo) during a 27–19 win at the
New York Jets in Week 3. He started in place of McClellin in the next two games (Weeks 4–5). Bostic sustained a back injury and missed three consecutive games (Weeks 6–8). On November 27, 2014, Bostic started at middle linebacker in place of D.J. Williams who sustained a neck injury the previous week. He made 11 combined tackles (seven solo) in the Bears' 34–17 loss at the
Detroit Lions in Week 13. He remained the starting middle linebacker for the last five games of the regular season after D.J. Williams was placed on injured reserve. Bostic finished the season with 84 combined tackles (58 solo) and three pass deflections in 13 games and eight starts.
On December 29, 2014, the Chicago Bears fired head coach Mark Trestman and general manager
Phil Emery
Philip Allen Emery (born 25 June 1964) is a former Australian cricketer. A wicket-keeper and valuable left-handed batsman, he represented Australia internationally and New South Wales domestically.
Born in St Ives, Sydney, Emery was educ ...
after they finished with a 5–11 record.
2015
Bostic missed organized team activities due to a back injury, but recovered in time to attend training camp. Defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio
Victor Mick Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio most recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the ...
held a competition between Bostic,
Christian Jones, and
Mason Foster
Mason Foster (born March 1, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington. He has also been a member of the Chicago B ...
for a job as a starting inside linebacker. Head coach
John Fox named Bostic the backup inside linebacker to start the regular season, behind Christian Jones, Shea McClellin, and Mason Foster. Bostic was a healthy scratch for the first three regular season games.
New England Patriots
On September 28, 2015, the Chicago Bears traded Bostic to the
New England Patriots in exchange for a sixth-round pick (204th overall) in the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
. Upon arriving to the New England Patriots, head coach
Bill Belichick
William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...
named Bostic the backup strongside linebacker behind
Jamie Collins. On December 7, 2015, Bostic earned his first start as a member of the Patriots in place of
Dont'a Hightower
Qualin Dont'a Hightower (born March 12, 1990) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama, receiving consensus All-American honors and winning two BCS National Championships. Hightower was sel ...
after Hightower sustained a shoulder injury. He recorded one tackle during a 27–6 victory at the
Houston Texans in Week 14. He finished the 2015 season with two combined tackles (one solo) in 11 games and one start.
Detroit Lions
On May 9, 2016, the New England Patriots traded Bostic to the
Detroit Lions in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Throughout training camp, he competed against
Stephen Tulloch for the job as the starting middle linebacker. On August 2, 2016, Bostic sustained a leg injury during a joint practice with the
Pittsburgh Steelers. On September 6, 2016, the Detroit Lions placed Bostic on injured reserve with a foot injury. The Detroit Lions opted to keep him on injured reserve for the entire season.
Indianapolis Colts
On April 20, 2017, the
Indianapolis Colts signed Bostic to a one-year, $690,000 contract.
Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as a starting inside linebacker against
Edwin Jackson and
Sean Spence. Head coach
Chuck Pagano named Bostic the starting inside linebacker to begin the 2017 regular season, along with rookie
Antonio Morrison.
On October 1, 2017, Bostic recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (five solo) during a 46–18 loss at the
Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. In Week 8, he collected eight combined tackles and sacked quarterback
Andy Dalton
Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
during the Colts' 24–23 loss at the
Cincinnati Bengals. On December 18, 2017, the Indianapolis Colts placed Bostic on injured reserve after he suffered a knee injury in Week 15. He finished the season with a career-high 97 tackles (57 solo), three pass deflections, and a sack in 14 games and 14 starts.
His 97 tackles finished third on the team and 25th among all players in the league.
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 ...
gave Bostic an overall grade of 74.9, ranking 38th among all qualified linebackers in 2017.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On March 18, 2018, the
Pittsburgh Steelers signed Bostic to a two-year, $4 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $2.4 million.
He was released from the team on April 27, 2019 following the
2019 NFL Draft, in which the Steelers used the 10th overall pick on linebacker
Devin Bush Jr.
Washington Redskins / Football Team
![Jon Bostic (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Jon_Bostic_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Bostic signed with 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
on May 22, 2019, after linebacker
Reuben Foster
Reuben Foster (born April 4, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. A consensus All-American in high school, Foster was regarded as the best linebacker prospect of his class before committing to Alabama, where he played ...
was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. He started all 16 games, recording a career-high 105 tackles, one sack, and an interception. On March 30, 2020, Bostic signed a two-year, $5 million contract extension with the Redskins.
In Week 7 of the 2020 season against 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
, Bostic was ejected after initiating a helmet to helmet hit on Cowboys' quarterback
Andy Dalton
Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
, giving him a
concussion.
He was later fined $12,000. In Week 13 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Bostic led the team with 10 tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by former Steelers teammate
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
during the 23–17 win.
Bostic tore a pectoral muscle in a Week 4 game against the
Atlanta Falcons and was placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2021.
New Orleans Saints
Bostic signed with the
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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
on August 15, 2022. He was released on August 30, 2022.
Washington Commanders
Bostic signed a one-year contract with 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...
on September 1, 2022. He was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2022.
References
External links
Florida Gators bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bostic, Jon
1991 births
Living people
People from Wellington, Florida
Players of American football from Florida
American football linebackers
Florida Gators football players
Chicago Bears players
New England Patriots players
Detroit Lions players
Indianapolis Colts players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Washington Redskins players
Washington Football Team players
Washington Commanders players
New Orleans Saints players