Marqise Lee (born November 25, 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 ...

wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by 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 ...

in the second round of the

2014 NFL Draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New ...

. 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 ...

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses ** South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, where he was the 2012

Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...

winner as the nation's top receiver and a unanimous All-American.

Early years

Lee is a child of deaf adults; his parents, Elton Lee and Anfernee Williams, are deaf. he communicates with them via

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign ...

.Pedro Moura
Aunt: Marqise Lee's father to attend first USC game
ESPNLosAngeles.com, November 8, 2012, accessed November 10, 2012. Lee had a difficult childhood. His father was not regularly involved in his life. Lee spent the first twelve years of his life moving repeatedly between his mother and grandparents, both in low-income homes. The frequent moves forced him to repeat a grade early in elementary school. While Lee finished sixth grade, his grandfather died and his grandmother moved to the housing projects in

Baldwin Village, Los Angeles Baldwin Village is a neighborhood in the South Los Angeles region of Los Angeles County, California. Geography In 1988, Baldwin Village became be a distinct community in the city's General Plan, and signs were to be posted to identify the area ...

; Lee and his younger sister chose not to move with her and instead became

wards of the state In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient j ...

. His two older brothers were involved in

gang A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collective ...

s: one, Terreal Reid, was murdered in a gang-related killing and the other, Donte Reid, was imprisoned in

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

on a count of

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven y ...

. Lee previously tried to join the same gang, but his brothers prevented it. His sister still lives in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

area.Pedro Moura
The rise of Marqise Lee
ESPNLosAngeles.com, April 20, 2012, accessed November 10, 2012. When Lee started high school at Morningside High School, in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

, he was living in a

foster home Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...

. Lee played on an

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

basketball team the summer after his freshman year of high school and became friends with Steven Hester Jr., a high school student from Inglewood attending the private Junípero Serra High School in

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. Until 2014, the US census cited the City of Gardena as the plac ...

. The Hester family liked Lee and, in September 2008, he moved in with them and began attending Serra. The family wanted to help Lee's younger sister, too, but were unable because of space and financial constraints. The Hesters became heavily involved in his life and continued to attend most of his games and practices at USC. At Serra High School, Lee was a year behind a stand-out wide receiver, Robert Woods, who also went to USC. As a senior, Lee had had 57 receptions for 1,409 yards and 24

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

as a wide receiver and 45 tackles and three interceptions as a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. Lee was considered one of the top high school recruits in 2011.Marqise Lee
Rivals.com, accessed December 7, 2012. A number of major NCAA Division I FBS college football programs offered him

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

s and Lee made official visits to

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 ...

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

, and

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

before choosing to attend USC. Lee was also a sprinter and jumper for the Junípero Serra High School's

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. He set a personal-best leap of 13.59 meters in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

at the 2010 CIF Division IV Meet. At the 2011 CIF Division IV Meet, he won the long jump with a leap of 7.52 meters, and recorded a career-best time of 10.74 seconds in the

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

, placing second. His jump of 7.52 meters was ranked 2nd best among all the 2011 prep class. He also ran the 200-meter dash in 22.11 seconds at the 2011 Del Rey League Championships, placing third in the finals.

College career

While attending the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, Lee played for the

USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 ...

team from 2011 to 2013.

2011 season

As a true freshman at USC in 2011, he earned a starting job at wide receiver across from his former high school teammate Robert Woods.Pedro Moura
Analyzing the season-opening depth chart
ESPNLosAngeles.com, August 29, 2011, accessed December 7, 2012. He finished the season with 73 receptions for 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns; due to sanctions, the 10-2 Trojans were prohibited from playing in either the inaugural Pac-12 Conference Championship game or a post-season

bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...

. The combined receptions by Lee and Woods (184) and receiving yards (2,435) in 2011 were the most by a pair of Trojans in a season; Lee was awarded the 2011 Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Co-Player of the Year and named to the All-Pac-12 second-team.Marqise Lee bio
USCTrojans.com, accessed December 7, 2012.

2012 season

Against

in 2012, Lee set the

Pac-12 Conference The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Divisi ...

record for receiving yards in a game with 16 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns.Paul Myerberg
USC wide receiver Marqise Lee sets a Pac-12 record in loss
''USA TODAY'', October 27. 2012, accessed November 10, 2012. The following week, Lee had 251 return yards against

, setting another conference record.Pedro Moura
USC starts Heisman campaign for Lee
ESPNLosAngeles.com, November 7. 2012, accessed November 10, 2012. He finished the season with 118 catches for 1,721 yards and 14 touchdowns and was named the 2012 Pac-12 Conference offensive player of the year.Rich Hammond
USC’s Lee, Williams win Pac-12 football honors
'Orange County Register', November 26, 2012. Lee won the 2012

Fred Biletnikoff Award The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was crea ...

as the top wide receiver in the nation, becoming the first Trojan to win the award.Gary Klein
USC football: Marqise Lee wins Biletnikoff Award
''Los Angeles Times'', December 6, 2012, accessed December 6, 2012. He was also a unanimous All-American.Walter Camp 123rd All-America Team
, Walter Camp Foundation, December 6, 2012.Richard Hammond
USC's Lee becomes unanimous All-American
''Orange County Register'', December 14, 2012.

2013 season

As a junior in 2013, Lee played in 11 games, recording 57 receptions for 791 yards and four touchdowns. On January 3, 2014, Lee announced his decision to forgo his senior season and enter the

. During his three-year career with the Trojans, he had 248 receptions for 3,655 yards and 29 touchdowns. Lee also competed on the USC

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

team in the spring, competing in the long jump and sprint relay.Gary Klein
Marqise Lee making another big leap at USC
''Los Angeles Times'', March 27, 2012, accessed December 7, 2012. He qualified for the NCAA championships in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

at the 2011 NCAA West preliminary rounds, setting a career-best leap of 7.76 meters.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

2014

The

selected Lee in the second round (39th overall) of the

. He was one of three USC Trojans to be selected that year and was the first of two wide receivers the Jaguars selected, along with Allen Robinson (61st overall). On June 16, 2014, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Lee to a four-year, $5.14 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 $3.18 million guaranteed and a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $2.08 million. Throughout training camp, Lee competed against Ace Sanders and Allen Robinson for the vacant starting wide receiver position that was left open after the suspension of

Justin Blackmon Justin Carl Blackmon (born January 9, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Oklahoma State, where he was twice recognized as a consensus All-American, before being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars ...

. During camp, he sustained a wrist injury and then suffered a leg injury. Head coach

Gus Bradley Paul Casey "Gus" Bradley (born July 5, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seah ...

named Lee the starting wide receiver to start the regular season, alongside veteran Cecil Shorts. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start during the Jacksonville Jaguars' season-opener at 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 ...

and caught a season-high six passes for 62-yards in their 34–17 loss. The following week, he caught two passes for 14-yards, but left the Jaguars' 41–10 loss at 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) ...

in the second quarter after sustaining a

hamstring injury Straining of the hamstring, also known as a pulled hamstring, is defined as an excessive stretch or tear of muscle fibers and related tissues. Hamstring injuries are common in athletes participating in many sports. Track and field athletes are ...

that sidelined him for the next three games (Weeks 3–5). On November 30, 2014, Lee caught six passes for a season-high 75-yards and caught his first career touchdown on a 30-yard pass from quarterback and fellow rookie Blake Bortles during the Jaguars' 25–24 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 ...

. He finished his rookie season and only season under offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch with 37 receptions for 422 yards and one touchdown in 13 games and eight starts.

2015

Lee competed against Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns for the vacant starting wide receiver position left by the departure of Cecil Shorts. He missed the majority of training camp after suffering a knee injury and then suffered a hamstring injury that allowed teammates to surpass him on the depth chart. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson named Lee the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Bryan Walters. He was inactive for the Jacksonville Jaguars' season-opener against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

due to his hamstring injury. He went on to miss another five games (Weeks 4–9) after aggravating his hamstring injury. On December 20, 2015, Lee caught two passes for 46-yards during the Jaguars' 23–17 loss to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

. The following week, he caught a season-high three passes for 26-yards and scored his only touchdown of the season in the Jaguars' 38–27 loss at 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 finished with his second season with 15 receptions for 191 receiving yards and one touchdown in ten games and one start.

2016

Lee entered training camp competing against

Rashad Greene Rashad Greene Sr. (born September 23, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida State Seminoles football, Florida State, and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2015 NF ...

to be the Jaguars' third wide receiver on their depth chart. Head coach Gus Bradley named him the third wide receiver to begin the regular season behind Allen Robinson and Hurns. In Week 7, Lee made a season-high seven receptions for 107-yards during a 33–16 loss against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

. Lee became one of the starting wide receivers for the remainder of the season after Allen Hurns suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the last five games. On December 11, 2016, he caught five passes for a career-high 113 receiving yards in a 25–16 loss to 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 ...

. The following week, Lee returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown as the Jaguars lost 21–20 at the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their home games at NR ...

. This marked his first career kick return for a touchdown. On December 24, 2016, he threw for his first career touchdown pass on a trick play call after receiving the football on a sweep and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Blake Bortles, his quarterback. He also caught three passes for 37-yards and scored a 21-yard touchdown during the Jaguars' 38–17 win against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

. He finished his last season under head coach Gus Bradley with 63 receptions for 851 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and six starts. He also returned 18 kickoffs for 545-yards and a touchdown.

2017

On January 9, 2017, the Jacksonville Jaguars announced that interim head coach and offensive line coach Doug Marrone would be promoted to their full-time head coach for the 2017 season. Throughout training camp, Lee and Allen Hurns competed to be a starting wide receiver alongside Allen Robinson. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett named Lee and Robinson the starting wide receivers to begin the season. Hurns replaced Robinson in the lineup after he tore his ACL in the Jaguars' season-opening 29–7 victory at the Houston Texans. In Week 2, Lee caught seven passes for a season-high 76 receiving yards during the Jaguars' 37–16 loss to the

. On November 5, 2017, he caught a season-high eight passes for 75-yards and a touchdown in a 23–7 victory against 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) North division. The club's home ...

. In Week 15, he suffered an ankle injury and left during the second quarter of the Jaguars' 45–7 routing against the

. He was inactive for the next two games (Weeks 16–17) as head coach Doug Marrone opted to rest his starters for the Jaguars' upcoming playoff games. Lee finished with 56 receptions for 702 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games and 14 starts. The Jacksonville Jaguars finished atop the

AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 season when the league realigned di ...

with a 10–6 record and secured a playoff berth. On January 7, 2018, Lee started his first career playoff game and had a five-yard rush and was only targeted once in the Jaguars' 10–3 victory over 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 ...

in the AFC Wild Card Round. The Jaguars defeated 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 ...

in the AFC Divisional round and went on to lose 24–20 to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the AFC Championship. Lee had four receptions for 42-yards during the Jaguars' playoff loss.

2018

On March 13, 2018, the Jaguars signed Lee to a four-year, $38 million contract extension. On August 25, 2018, in the third preseason game, Lee suffered a severe knee injury and had to undergo season-ending surgery.

2019

On October 29, 2019, Lee was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. He finished the season with just three catches for 18 yards. Lee was released by the Jaguars on April 20, 2020.

New England Patriots

On April 28, 2020, Lee signed a one-year contract with the

. On August 2, 2020, he announced he would opt out of the 2020 season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. After opting out of the season, Lee was released on March 18, 2021.

San Francisco 49ers

On May 17, 2021, Lee signed a one-year contract 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 Nationa ...

, but was released four days later. On November 10, 2021, the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

hosted Lee for a workout.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

USC Trojans bio

Jacksonville Jaguars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Marqise 1991 births Living people African-American players of American football All-American college football players American football return specialists American football wide receivers College men's track and field athletes in the United States Jacksonville Jaguars players New England Patriots players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Inglewood, California USC Trojans football players 21st-century African-American sportspeople