The Los Angeles Chargers last Friday announced they signed safety Tony Jefferson.
Here are five things to know about Jefferson:
1. Veteran presence
The Bolts have added another veteran to the mix in the safety room, as Jefferson is now the longest-tenured NFL player in that group.
Jefferson joins the Bolts with 10 seasons of experience and has suited up for four different teams over his time in the league.
After going undrafted in 2013, Jefferson signed with the Cardinals and earned playing time, spending four seasons in Arizona before spending the next four with the Ravens.
He's played in a total of 113 games and starting 67 of them and last played in nine games with the Giants during the 2022 season.
2. By the numbers
Jefferson has been able to fill up the stat sheet across his 10 years in the league.
The veteran currently sits with a total of 468 tackles (351 solo), four interceptions and 24 passes defensed.
He has also been able to wreak havoc around the ball, accumulating 9.5 sacks, 34 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles and four recoveries.
3. Baltimore connections
The addition of Jefferson adds another former Baltimore connection to the Chargers.
General Manager Joe Hortiz is well familiar with Jefferson, as their time overlapped when Hortiz held the roles of Director of College Scouting and Director of Player Personnel in Baltimore.
Jefferson also worked as a scouting intern for the Ravens last season under Hortiz.
On the field, the safety manned one of the spots in the secondary for three seasons from 2017 to 2019 and then again in 2021.
He played in 39 games (35 starts) for Baltimore and had career highs with 2.5 sacks while adding 79 total tackles and an interception in 2017.
Jefferson also reunites with Gus Edwards, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman and others are teammates once again, but this time in Los Angeles.
4. Freshman All-American
Jefferson was as productive as they came at Oklahoma before his NFL days.
He made an impact from the jump as a true freshman in 2010, ranking second among defensive backs with 7.5 tackles for loss. He would tack on 65 total tackles (44 solo), two interceptions and 2.0 sacks as well.
Jefferson earned Freshman All-American honors from multiple outlets and also won Co-Defensive Freshman of the Year award from the Big 12 following his first year.
He would continue to produce, leading the Sooners in total tackles (119) in his final collegiate season and fourth on the team in tackles for loss (3.5).
5. SoCal Native
It's a Southern California return for Jefferson.
The safety made a name for himself as a star at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.
Jefferson did it all in his senior season, helped the school win its first CIF football championship in school history as both a safety and a running back.
He earned USA Today All-American his senior year and was ranked by some outlets as the No. 7 recruit in California (CA) and is the No. 6 safety in the country.
