An undrafted Nebraska linebacker who turned relentless special teams play into his first career Pro Bowl nod.
Luke Gifford has never been a defensive centerpiece, but his coverage-unit production has made him one of the more valuable role players in the league. After stops with Dallas and Tennessee, his 2025 season with the 49ers finally earned him the recognition his special teams work has long deserved.
Path to the league
Gifford played five seasons at Nebraska, appearing in 29 games with 109 tackles, and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2019.
Career highlights
Gifford has played seven NFL seasons with the Cowboys, Titans and 49ers, appearing in 90 games with 14 starts on defense. His real value has come on special teams, where he has racked up 69 career tackles on coverage units.
2025 season recap
In his first season with San Francisco in 2025, Gifford appeared in 17 games with nine starts and added 20 special teams tackles, tied for the sixth-most in the NFL. The performance earned him his first career Pro Bowl selection, and he re-signed with the 49ers on a two-year, $5.3 million deal.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Luke Gifford
- Pro Football Reference: Luke Gifford
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
17 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 49ers | 17 | 35 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | titans | 16 | 49 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | titans | 11 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | cowboys | 16 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | cowboys | 16 | 11 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | cowboys | 8 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | cowboys | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Nebraska
- Hometown
- Lincoln, NE, USA
- Age
- 30
- Status
- active
