Jamal Agnew (born April 3, 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 wi ...

wide receiver and return specialist for 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 pla ...

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 majo ...

(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 in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. On September 26, 2021, he tied the NFL record for the longest play with a 109 yard return off a missed

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

Early years

Agnew attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

Point Loma High School Point Loma High School is a public high school in the San Diego Unified School District in San Diego, California, United States. It is located in the Loma Portal neighborhood of Point Loma. The school serves the neighborhoods of Point Loma ...

. Jamal Agnew constantly stood out among his peers at Point Loma; however, due to his size, he was not offered a scholarship to any major D1 school.

College career

Agnew attended and played college football for the

San Diego Toreros The San Diego Toreros are the 17 teams representing the University of San Diego of San Diego, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Toreros compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate At ...

, where he played cornerback and returned kicks.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

Agnew played in the 2017

NFLPA Collegiate Bowl The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predo ...

. 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 For ...

then selected Agnew in the fifth round (165th overall) 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 ...

. Following 2008 draftee Josh Johnson, he became the second player in San Diego Torrero history to be drafted. On May 12, 2017, the Lions signed Agnew to a four-year, $2.65 million contract with a signing bonus of $258,364. In Week 2 on ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, ...

'', Agnew scored his first NFL touchdown on an 88-yard punt return in the fourth quarter in a 24–10 win over 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 divisio ...

, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In Week 6, against 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 recorded a 74-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter. In Week 8, against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

, he recorded his first NFL reception, a 12-yard catch. He finished the 2017 season with 29 punt returns for 447 net yards and two punt return touchdowns to go along with 11 kickoff returns for 196 net yards. On October 15, 2018, Agnew was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He was activated off injured reserve on December 19, 2018. In six games, he had eight kickoff returns for 216 net yards and 12 punt returns for 57 net yards. In Week 3 of the 2019 season against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, Agnew returned a kick for a 100-yard touchdown in the 27-24 win. In Week 16, against 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 headquar ...

, he had a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 27–17 loss. On May 26, 2020, it was announced that Agnew would transition from cornerback to full time wide receiver.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 17, 2021, Agnew signed a three-year, $14.25 million contract with the

. In a Week 2 loss to the

, Agnew scored his first touchdown for the Jaguars with a 102 yard kick-off return, setting a franchise record for longest kick return in the process. On September 26, 2021, the following week against 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 th ...

, he scored another touchdown on a 109 yard return of a missed 68 yard field goal attempt, tying the NFL record for longest play with

Antonio Cromartie Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and current cornerback coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round by the San Dieg ...

and Cordarrelle Patterson, at the end of the first half in the 19–31 loss. He suffered a hip injury in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve on November 22, 2021.

References

External links

Detroit Lions bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnew, Jamal 1995 births American football cornerbacks American football return specialists American football wide receivers Detroit Lions players Jacksonville Jaguars players Living people Players of American football from San Diego San Diego Toreros football players