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 ...

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 ...

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

in the nation.

College career

Mills accepted a football scholarship from

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

in the fifth round (163rd overall) of the

. 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

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

' 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

' 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

. 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