Born in Lagos and raised in Baltimore, Kingsley Jonathan turned down a CFL global draft's top pick to chase an NFL career that has taken him through four franchises.
Kingsley Jonathan's path to the Jets has been anything but direct, running through undrafted free agency and stops with three other teams before he found a foothold on New York's active roster in early 2026. A five-year Syracuse standout, he has carved out a role as a depth pass rusher on the edge.
Path to the league
Jonathan played five seasons at Syracuse from 2017 to 2021, recording 101 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks, and won the Jim Tatum Award as the ACC's top student-athlete in 2020. He went undrafted in 2022 despite being the first overall selection in that year's CFL Global Draft, choosing instead to sign with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.
Career highlights
Jonathan has appeared in 20 NFL games across stints with the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans, recording 10 tackles and three quarterback hits. Much of his career has been spent on practice squads as he worked to carve out a permanent roster spot.
2025 season recap
Jonathan signed with the Jets' practice squad in December 2025 and was promoted to New York's active roster in January 2026, giving him a fresh opportunity to stick as a depth piece on the Jets' defensive line.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kingsley Jonathan
- ESPN: Kingsley Jonathan
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
1 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | jets | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | bills | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | bills | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | bears | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 2022 Totals | 6 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Syracuse
- Hometown
- Baltimore, MD, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
