Jordan Johnathan Willis (born May 2, 1995) 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 ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for 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 ...

of the

National Football League 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 ...

(NFL). 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 ...

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

and was drafted by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in the third round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

. He has also been a member of 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 ...

Early years

Willis attended

Rockhurst High School Rockhurst High School is a private, Roman Catholic, Jesuit, all-boys, preparatory school founded in 1910 along with Rockhurst College, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It moved away from the College in 1962 to a campus on State Line Road ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. He had 58 tackles and nine sacks as a senior and 60 tackles and 13 sacks as a junior. Willis also served as the student body president as a senior. He committed to

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

to play college football.

College career

As a true freshman at Kansas State in 2013, Willis played in nine games and had one sack. As a sophomore in 2014, he started all 13 games and had 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks. As a junior in 2015, Willis again started all 13 games, recording 36 tackles and 9.5 sacks. As a senior, he was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year after recording 52 tackles and 11.5 sacks.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Willis was drafted by

in the third round, 73rd overall, in the

. On September 10, 2019, Willis was released by the Bengals.

New York Jets

On September 11, 2019, Willis was claimed off waivers by the

San Francisco 49ers

On October 27, 2020, Willis was traded to the

for a sixth-round pick in 2022. The Jets also sent their 2021 seventh-round pick to the 49ers. Willis was placed on the injured reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

list A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...

by the team on November 23, 2020, and activated on December 2. On January 1, 2021, Willis was placed on injured reserve. He finished the season with a career-high 2.5 sacks. Willis re-signed with the 49ers on a one-year contract on March 23, 2021. On June 17, Willis was suspended for the first six games of the 2021 season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. On January 22, 2022, in an NFC Divisional Round 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 ...

Lambeau Field Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...

, with wind chill approaching zero degrees, snow falling, and five minutes remaining in the game, Willis blocked a critical punt by

Corey Bojorquez Corey Bojorquez ( ; born September 13, 1996) is an American football punter for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cerritos College before transferring to New Mexico, and signed with the New ...

, which was returned for the 49ers' sole touchdown of the game by safety

Talanoa Hufanga Talanoa Hufanga (born February 1, 2000) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC. Early years Hufanga attended Crescent Valley High School in Corvall ...

. That play tied the game 10–10 and allowed the 49ers to win with a field goal from

Robbie Gould Robert Paul Gould III (; born December 6, 1982) is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played with the Chicago Bears from 2005 to 2015, during which he became the franchise's all ...

. For that effort, Jordan was awarded a game ball by 49ers head coach

Kyle Shanahan Kyle Michael Shanahan (born December 14, 1979) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, wh ...

. On March 23, 2022, Willis re-signed with the 49ers. He was placed on injured reserve on September 14, 2022. He was activated on November 12.

References

External links

San Francisco 49ers bio

Kansas State Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Jordan 1995 births Living people Players of American football from San Diego Players of American football from Kansas City, Missouri American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers Kansas State Wildcats football players Cincinnati Bengals players New York Jets players San Francisco 49ers players