Jabari Greer
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Jabari Amin Greer (born February 11, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004. Greer played five seasons for the New Orleans Saints, where he was a defensive starter in Super Bowl XLIV as the Saints won their first NFL championship.
Early life
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Greer moved to Texas at age seven and later lived in Jackson, Tennessee, where he attended South Side High School. At South Side, Greer was an all-state selection in football and won seven individual state track championships.
College career
During his college career at Tennessee, Greer participated in track and field as well as football. He broke the 110m hurdles school record that had previously been held by Collin Henderson. He was the 2003 NCAA Indoor Champion for 60 meter hurdles. Greer was a three-year starter at cornerback and broke a school record by playing in 51 games. He graduated from Tennessee in 2004 with a degree in psychology.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) | 8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.45 s | 1.56 s | 2.62 s | 36+1⁄2 in (0.93 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 7 reps |
| All values were from NFL Scouting Combine. See also . |
Buffalo Bills
NFL Draft Scout predicted Greer to be a fourth or fifth round pick in the 2004 NFL draft, but Greer was not selected. Greer's scouting report noted that he lacked size, a factor that might pose "problems in handling the larger receivers." The Buffalo Bills signed Greer on April 26, 2004, as an undrafted free agent. While in Buffalo he played mostly as a nickel or dimeback and on special teams. In 2008, he started the first 10 games of the season, recording two Pick 6s before suffering an injury.
New Orleans Saints
On March 4, 2009, Greer signed a four-year contract with the New Orleans Saints. He became a starter for the Saints and returned an interception for a touchdown in a game against the Atlanta Falcons. He was injured on November 8, 2009, and missed most of the rest of the 2009 regular season, but returned in time to play a significant role in the playoffs as the Saints won their first Super Bowl.
On February 12, 2014, three months after tearing his left ACL against the 49ers, Greer was cut by the New Orleans Saints to create more cap space for the team.
Greer excelled in the playoffs with the Saints. In six postseason games, he recorded three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
Retirement
On September 11, 2014, Greer announced his retirement during an appearance on ESPN.
Greer now works as an NFL Analyst for TSN in Canada, as well as a college football analyst for SEC Network.
Greer also was an on air broadcaster for Your Call Football, an interactive game where fans call real time plays for players, including former NFL players such as Greer.
In 2023, Greer was inducted in the Saints Hall of Fame.
Career statistics
| Year | Team | G | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Solo | Ast | Sack | Safety | Passes defended | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||||
| 2004 | BUF | 12 | 1 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | BUF | 16 | 2 | 35 | 26 | 9 | 1.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | BUF | 16 | 0 | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | BUF | 16 | 13 | 46 | 41 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | BUF | 10 | 10 | 38 | 32 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 75 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | NO | 9 | 8 | 44 | 41 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 59 | 0 | 48 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | NO | 14 | 13 | 61 | 54 | 7 | 0.0 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 50 | 0 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | NO | 16 | 16 | 71 | 60 | 11 | 0.0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | NO | 14 | 13 | 51 | 36 | 15 | 0.0 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | NO | 10 | 10 | 30 | 26 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 133 | 86 | 413 | 348 | 65 | 2.0 | 0 | 95 | 13 | 240 | – | 48 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Personal life
Greer became a single father after the passing of his wife, Katrina. He has established a non-profit foundation, the Greer Campaign, focused on programs to assist both single and married fathers in developing their parenting skills.
While playing for the Saints, Greer wrote a weekly column for The Times-Picayune.