Jerry Jacobs, ex-Lions starting cornerback, announces retirement

Cornerback Jerry Jacobs, a former undrafted success story for the Detroit Lions, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday via Instagram.

Jacobs, 28, started 29 games for Detroit and made 40 total appearances over three seasons (2021-23) after going undrafted out of Arkansas in the 2021 NFL Draft and making the Lions’ 53-man roster out of his first NFL training camp.

Lions defensive back Jerry Jacobs (23) returns an interception in the second quarter against the Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

In a post that thanked coaches and teammates and concluded with a "farewell" to the "beautiful game," Jacobs wrote that his head has “been everywhere” as he contemplated retirement, but he's “deciding to hang the cleats up and start a new journey.”

Jacobs signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Feb. 2026. The season starts next week.

Added Jacobs, “I fought a good fight and finished my race after 22 years of playing the game.”

In Week 5 of his rookie season, Jacobs made his first of nine starts in the campaign. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 and began the next season on the reserve/PUP list, but reclaimed a starting role by Week 11.

He finished the 2022 season with eight pass breakups, one interception, 42 tackles and a sack. In a Week 9 game against the Green Bay Packers, Jacobs verbally sparred with quarterback , telling the reigning MVP to “stop trying me.” Jacobs had a pass breakup with three tackles. Rodgers finished the game with three interceptions and a passer rating of 53.5. The Lions won the game, 15-9, snapping a five-game losing streak and kick-starting a run that nearly earned Detroit a playoff berth.