Jason Trusnik (/ˈtrʌznɪk/ TRUZZ-nik; born June 6, 1984) is a former American football linebacker and special teamer. He was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Ohio Northern.

Jason Trusnik
refer to caption
Trusnik with the Miami Dolphins
No. 57, 96, 93, 59
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1984-06-06) June 6, 1984 (age 40)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:241 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Nordonia (Macedonia, Ohio)
College:Ohio Northern
Undrafted:2007
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:232
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

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Trusnik played college football at Ohio Northern. He was twice named a Division III All-American and twice named All-Ohio Athletic Conference. Additionally, he played in the Texas vs. The Nation Game for 'The Nation' team and was named a co-captain for Team United States in the Aztec Bowl.[1][2]

Professional career

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New York Jets

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Trusnik signing autographs in 2007 with the Jets.

Trusnik was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007 by the New York Jets. As a rookie, he appeared in six games and recorded six tackles on special teams after spending the first nine weeks on their practice squad. He made his NFL debut in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 18. Trusnik was placed on injured reserve on December 26.

In 2008, Trusnik played in seven games and was inactive for two. He also had spent the first seven games of the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Trusnik made five tackles and a fumble recovery on defense as well as 11 tackles on special teams.

In 2009, Trusnik played in the first four games of the season with the Jets. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his game against Tennessee on September 27, where he had two tackles, a forced fumble, and fumble recovery. Trusnik was then traded to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland Browns

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Trusnik (left) with the Cleveland Browns in 2009

On October 7, 2009, Trusnik was traded to the Cleveland Browns by the New York Jets in exchange for wide receiver Braylon Edwards. [3] He played the remainder of the 2009 season with the Browns, where he started 10 games and played in 12. During this time, Trusnik registered 54 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one pass defensed. His first start of his NFL career came on October 18 in a game at Pittsburgh. Trusnik made a career-high 10 tackles on November 29 in Cincinnati. The Browns finished the season with the best kickoff return average starting position (31.4) in the NFL with Trusnik as a blocker.

In 2010, Trusnik played in all 16 games for the Browns, starting five. He registered 15 tackles, one sack, and one pass defensed. He played mostly on special teams where he had nine tackles.

Miami Dolphins

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On July 27, 2011, the Miami Dolphins signed Trusnik to a 2-year deal.[4] He was with the Dolphins for four seasons, starting 10 games and playing in 64.

In 2014, Trusnik caught his first career interception from a Tom Brady pass on December 14. He also scored his first touchdown off of a fumble recovery against the Jets on December 28.

Carolina Panthers

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On March 31, 2015, the Carolina Panthers signed Trusnik to a 1-year deal as an unrestricted free agent.[5] On September 5, 2015, he was released by the Panthers.[6]

Minnesota Vikings

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On November 10, 2015, the Minnesota Vikings signed Trusnik. He had previously worked with Vikings defensive coordinator, George Edwards, while he was the linebackers coach at Miami from 2012 to 2013.[7]

New Orleans Saints

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On December 14, 2016, Trusnik was signed by the New Orleans Saints.[8]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2007 NYJ 6 0 8 4 4 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2008 NYJ 7 0 10 7 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2009 NYJ 4 0 6 4 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
CLE 12 10 56 45 11 2.5 6 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0
2010 CLE 16 5 24 21 3 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2011 MIA 16 0 18 15 3 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 MIA 16 2 25 17 8 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 MIA 16 2 25 20 5 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 MIA 16 6 49 33 16 0.0 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0
2015 MIN 8 0 11 10 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 NOR 3 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
120 25 232 176 56 3.5 12 1 0 0 0 4 2 4 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2015 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Retirement

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On April 10, 2018, Trusnik announced his retirement from the National Football League.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Jason Trusnik signed to 53-man roster with New York Jets in '07". Archived from the original on November 6, 2007. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  2. ^ "Jason Trusnik, Ohio Northern, NFL Draft". CBS Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Cleveland Browns trade wide receiver Braylon Edwards to New York Jets, ESPN. Published October 7, 2009. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
  4. ^ Alper, Josh (July 27, 2011). "Dolphins retain Tony McDaniel, add Jason Trusnik". Pro Football Talk.
  5. ^ "Panthers add linebacker, special teams depth in Jason Trusnik". ProFootballTalk.com. March 31, 2015.
  6. ^ Gantt, Darin (September 5, 2015). "Panthers cut Jordan Todman, Jason Trusnik in moves to 53". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  7. ^ Goessling, Ben (November 10, 2015). "Vikings Sign LB Jason Trusnik, Place Audie Cole on IR". ESPN. Retrieved January 15, 2016.
  8. ^ "Saints Placing LT Terron Armstead On Injured Reserve, Sign LB Jason Trusnik". December 14, 2016.
  9. ^ "retirement". Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  10. ^ statement from Trusnik on twitter
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