Jordan Michael Mills (born December 24, 1990) 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 with ...
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
who is a free agent. He was drafted by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the fifth 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 in ...
. 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 ...
at
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...
.
Early years
Mills attended
Assumption High School in
Napoleonville, Louisiana
Napoleonville is a village and the parish seat of Assumption Parish, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 660 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Pierre Part Micropolitan Statistical Area. The village is best known as the loca ...
. He was a two-time All-District 8-5A selection. He received honorable-mention All-state, All-region and All-tri-parish by the
Daily Comet
''The Daily Comet'' is a newspaper in Thibodaux, Louisiana, United States. It covers Lafourche, Assumption, the west bank of St. James and the northern part of Terrebonne parishes.
It began publishing in 1889 as the weekly ''Lafourche Comet''. I ...
as a senior. He also
lettered
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
in
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
for three years. He competed in the
shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...
on the
track
Track or Tracks may refer to:
Routes or imprints
* Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity
* Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across
* Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
team for three years, while helping the school reach the regionals as a junior. He was considered as a three-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com 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 founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'' and was rated the 53rd best
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
in the nation.
College career
Mills accepted a football scholarship from
Louisiana Tech University
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activ ...
over offers from
Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...
and
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...
. As a true freshman in 2009, he saw action in seven games, starting at left guard in the last five. As a sophomore in 2010, the coaching staff originally planned to
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
Mills, but a season-ending knee injury to teammate Cudahy Harmon forced the decision to pull the redshirt off him. He played in five games, starting in four at right tackle. As a junior in 2011, he started in all 13 games at right tackle, paving the way for Louisiana Tech's tailbacks to rush for over 1,800 yards. As a senior in 2012, he started in all 12 games at right tackle, earning first-team All-conference honors.
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Mills was selected by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in the fifth round (163rd overall) 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 in ...
. On May 1, Mills and sixth-round pick
Cornelius Washington
Cornelius Davis Washington (born September 10, 1989) is an American football coach and former defensive end who is currently the Recruiting Communications Coordinator for the Washington Huskies football team. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears ...
were the first draft choices to sign, both signing four-year contracts. After a strong preseason, he won the starting right tackle job over
J'Marcus Webb
J'Marcus Webb (born August 8, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Texas A&M.
Webb has played for t ...
. He would go on to start all sixteen games for the Bears, allowing three sacks in 1,022 plays.
In 2014, he started the first 13 games at right tackle. In the first quarter of week 17 against the
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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Mills suffered a fractured
fifth metatarsal bone
The fifth metatarsal bone is a long bone in the foot, and is palpable along the distal outer edges of the feet. It is the second smallest of the five metatarsal bones. The fifth metatarsal is analogous to the fifth metacarpal bone in the hand.
As ...
in his left foot when leaving the field, and required surgery.
In 2015, the Bears hired new head coach
John Fox, who brought in a new coaching staff. Mills lost his starting job to second-year player
Charles Leno after the second preseason game and was released on September 6.
Dallas Cowboys
On September 7, 2015, 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 divisi ...
claimed him off waivers. He suffered a foot injury and was declared inactive for the season opener against 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
. On September 14, he was released to make room for
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
Charles Brown.
Detroit Lions
On September 16, 2015, 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) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
signed Mills to their
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
.
Buffalo Bills
Oct 20, 2015, he was signed by the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
from 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) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
' practice squad. He appeared in 10 games with 5 starts at
right tackle
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, o ...
.
On March 11, 2017, Mills signed a two-year, $4 million contract extension with the Bills. He started all 16 games at right tackle. In 2018, he again started all 16 games at right tackle. He wasn't re-signed after the season.
Miami Dolphins
On May 9, 2019, Mills signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, to replace the
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...
loss of
Ja'Wuan James
Ja'Wuan Amir James (born June 3, 1992) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee. He has also played for th ...
. He missed most of training camp with an undisclosed injury and was waived injured on August 27.
Arizona Cardinals
On September 10, 2019, Mills was signed by the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
to replace an injured
Marcus Gilbert. On October 5, he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. On November 25, he was designated for return from injured reserve and joined the active roster. However, he was not activated by the end of the three-week practice window on December 16, 2019, and remained on injured reserve for the rest of the season. He appeared in three games with two starts and was not re-signed after the season.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On September 29, 2020, Mills was signed 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on October 24 and December 8 for the team's weeks 7 and 13 games against the
Washington Football Team
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
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 its ...
, and reverted to the practice squad after each game. He was promoted to the active roster on December 19, 2020. On December 29, 2020, Mills was waived by Dallas, then re-signed to their practice squad two days later. He was released after the regular season on January 7, 2021.
Baltimore Ravens
On January 12, 2021, Mills signed with the practice squad of 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 its ...
. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 25, 2021.
New Orleans Saints
On August 18, 2021, Mills 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 ...
. He was released on August 31, 2021. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 28. He was promoted to the active roster on October 30.
San Francisco 49ers
On August 6, 2022, Mills signed with 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 ...
. He was released on August 30, 2022.
Personal life
His cousin
Tramon Williams
Tramon Vernell Williams Sr. (born March 16, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Louisiana Tech, and was signed by the Houston Texans as an un ...
played cornerback in the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
. He is also cousins with former running back
Brandon Jacobs
Brandon Christopher Jacobs (born July 6, 1982) is a former American football running back, who spent the majority of his career with the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Coffeyville, Auburn, ...
.
References
External links
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Jordan
1990 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Thibodaux, Louisiana
American football offensive tackles
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football players
Players of American football from Louisiana
Chicago Bears players
Dallas Cowboys players
Detroit Lions players
Buffalo Bills players
Miami Dolphins players
Arizona Cardinals players
Baltimore Ravens players
San Francisco 49ers players