A first-round Notre Dame product whose long, disruptive frame has kept him in NFL rotations for eight seasons after an All-American college run.
Jerry Tillery arrived in the league as a first-round talent with an imposing 6-foot-6 frame, and while he never quite became the perennial force some scouts projected, he has stayed a rotational contributor deep into his career, most recently working through the interior for a new club.
Path to the league
Tillery was a First Team All-American in 2018 at Notre Dame, racking up seven sacks that season and 12.5 sacks with 133 tackles over his four-year college career despite battling a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Los Angeles Chargers selected him 28th overall in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Tillery spent his first several NFL seasons with the Chargers before moving on to other stops, including the Kansas City Chiefs. He has developed into a durable interior lineman who plays extensive special-teams and rotational snaps, appearing in 17 games in multiple recent seasons.
2025 season recap
Tillery appeared in all 17 games for Kansas City in 2025, recording 20 tackles, 2.5 sacks and two quarterback hits, before signing with a new team as a free agent in March 2026.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jerry Tillery
- Pro Football Reference: Jerry Tillery
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | chiefs | 17 | 20 | 8 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | vikings | 17 | 28 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | raiders | 17 | 31 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 | chargers | 7 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | raiders | 8 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2022 Totals | 15 | 18 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | chargers | 16 | 51 | 24 | 4.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | chargers | 16 | 29 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019 | chargers | 15 | 17 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Notre Dame
- Hometown
- Shreveport, LA, USA
- Age
- 29
- Status
- active
