Wikipedia

Jermaine Kearse

Jermaine Levan Kearse (born February 6, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies. Kearse was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and later won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team, beating the Denver Broncos. After five seasons with the Seahawks, Kearse played two more seasons for the New York Jets from 2017 to 2018. In 2019, he joined the Detroit Lions, but missed the entire season due to injury.

Jermaine Kearse
refer to caption
Kearse with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014
Washington Huskies
Position:Program assistant
Personal information
Born: (1990-02-06) February 6, 1990 (age 34)
Lakewood, Washington, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Lakes (Lakewood)
College:Washington (2008–2011)
Undrafted:2012
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:255
Receiving yards:3,290
Receiving touchdowns:17
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Kearse grew up as a military brat; his father was a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.[1] While living at Fort Lewis (now Joint Base Lewis–McChord), south of Tacoma, Washington, he attended Lakes High School in Lakewood and played high school football for the Lancers.[2] As a senior, he caught 54 passes for 903 yards and eight touchdowns.[3]

College career

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Kearse attended the University of Washington in Seattle, playing for the Huskies of the Pac-12 Conference.[4] In his time there, he played under head coaches Tyrone Willingham and Steve Sarkesian.[5] As a true freshman in 2008, he played in all 12 games, with two starts, and had 20 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns.[6] As a sophomore in 2009 in his first season with Sarkesian, Kearse started nine of 12 games and led the team in receptions with 50; yards with 866; and touchdowns with eight.[7] He was named a second-team All-Pac-10 selection.[8]

As a junior in 2010, Kearse started all 13 games and again led the team in receptions with 63 for 1,005 yards and 12 touchdowns.[9][10] He was named second-team All-Pac-10 for the second consecutive year.[11] As a senior in 2011, he had 47 receptions for 699 yards and seven touchdowns.[12]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Receiving Rushing Scrimmage
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD Tch Yds Avg TD
2008 Washington 12 20 301 15.1 2 0 0 0.0 0 20 301 15.1 2
2009 Washington 12 50 866 17.3 8 1 2 2.0 0 51 868 17 8
2010 Washington 13 63 1,005 16.0 12 0 0 0.0 0 63 1,005 16 12
2011 Washington 13 47 699 14.9 7 2 13 6.5 1 49 712 14.5 8
Total 50 180 2,871 16.0 29 3 15 5.0 1 183 2,886 15.8 30

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+7⁄8 in
(1.85 m) 		209 lb
(95 kg) 		32+1⁄8 in
(0.82 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.58 s 1.60 s 2.65 s 4.12 s 7.03 s 34 in
(0.86 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 14 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

Seattle Seahawks

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2012 season

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Kearse was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2012.[15] he made his NFL debut on November 4 and had a six-yard reception against the Minnesota Vikings.[16] He appeared in seven games as a rookie for Seattle in 2012, finishing with three catches for 31 yards and playing on special teams.[17] Kearse underwent LASIK surgery during the offseason to improve his vision.[18]

2013 season

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During the 2013 season in a Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers, Kearse caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Russell Wilson late in the fourth quarter to lift the Seahawks to a 12–7 score. The score was the first of Kearse's professional career.[19]

In a Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts, Kearse had a 28-yard reception for a touchdown, and blocked a punt which resulted in a safety in the 34–28 loss.[20] In Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, he scored a 43-yard touchdown after a trick play when Marshawn Lynch threw the ball back to Russell Wilson in the 33–10 victory.[21] In 2013, Kearse played 15 games with 346 receiving yards and four touchdowns.[22]

In the NFC Championship on January 19, 2014, against division rival San Francisco 49ers, Kearse caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Wilson. The Seahawks eventually won the game 23–17 and advanced to Super Bowl XLVIII.[23] During the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos, Kearse had four catches for 65 yards including a 23-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter, breaking four tackles to get into the endzone. The Seahawks won 43–8, giving Kearse and the team their first Super Bowl win in franchise history.[24]

2014 season

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In the 2014 regular season, Kearse played 15 games with 537 receiving yards and a touchdown.[25] In Week 5, against the Washington Redskins, he caught his lone touchdown of the season in the 27–17 victory.[26]

In Week 3, in a Super Bowl XLVIII rematch against the Denver Broncos, Kearse threw the first pass of his NFL career, a 17-yard pass to Russell Wilson, in the 26–20 overtime victory.[27]

In the Divisional Round against the Carolina Panthers, Kearse continued his streak of catching touchdowns in postseason games with a 63-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter, catching the ball with one hand. He would catch two other passes in the game, each going for 33 yards, and lead all receivers with 129 receiving yards on his three catches. The Seahawks won 31–17 and advanced to the NFC Championship.[28]

In the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers, Kearse caught his only completion, a 35-yard game-winning overtime touchdown to give Seattle a 28–22 win after falling behind 16–0 at halftime. The victory sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Kearse had been targeted on five throws earlier in the game, the first four being intercepted (two of them tipped by Kearse) and the fifth being incomplete.[29] It was the fourth straight postseason game in which Kearse caught a touchdown pass.

In the final minute of Super Bowl XLIX, Kearse caught the ball after a Wilson pass was tipped by cornerback Malcolm Butler and the ball bounced four times off Kearse's body before he secured the ball. The play seemingly looked to be a remake of the Helmet Catch. However, Butler intercepted Wilson at the goal line with under 30 seconds remaining, therefore foiling the Seahawks a chance for the second championship in a row as they lost to the Patriots 28–24.[30][31]

2015 season

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In the 2015 season, Kearse caught eight passes for 76 yards in the season-opening 34–31 overtime loss in St. Louis against the Rams, setting a new single-game high for receptions (breaking his previous record of five).[32] In Week 5 in Cincinnati, Kearse caught his first touchdown of the season on a 30-yard pass from Wilson in the 27–24 loss.[33] In Week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kearse recorded four receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns, in the 39–30 victory for his first career multi-touchdown game.[34] In Week 15, against the Cleveland Browns, he had a career-high 110 receiving yards in the 30–13 victory.[35] Kearse started all 16 games for the first time of his career and finished the year with 685 receiving yards and a career-high five touchdowns.[36]

In the Divisional Round against the Carolina Panthers, Kearse had 11 receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns as the Seahawks lost by a score of 31–24.[37]

2016 season

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In the 2016 season, Kearse caught 41 passes for 511 yards and one touchdown.[38] Seattle won the NFC West and made the playoffs. His lone touchdown came in Week 16, against the Arizona Cardinals in the 34–31 defeat on Christmas Eve.[39] They defeated the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card Round before falling to the eventual NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round.[40][41]

New York Jets

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2017 season

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On September 1, 2017, Kearse, along with a 2018 second-round draft pick, were traded to the New York Jets in exchange for defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.[42]

 
Kearse with the Jets on December 3, 2017

On September 10, in the season opener, Kearse made his Jets debut, recording seven receptions for 59 yards in the 21–12 loss to the Buffalo Bills.[43] In Week 2, against the Oakland Raiders, he had four receptions for 64 yards and his first two receiving touchdowns with the Jets, both coming from quarterback Josh McCown. His performance against the Raiders was only the second multi-touchdown game of his career.[44] During Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers, Kearse had 7 receptions for 105 receiving yards and a touchdown. He and fellow receiver Robby Anderson both had over 100 receiving yards in the same game in a Jets lost 35–27.[45] During Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Kearse had another outstanding performance, highlighted by a spectacular one-handed catch by the sideline boundary line and a 51-yard reception play later in the game. He finished the game with 9 receptions and 157 receiving yards as the Jets won 38–31.[46][47] Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with 65 receptions for 810 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.[48]

2018 season

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In Week 6, against the Indianapolis Colts, he had nine receptions for a season-high 94 yards.[49] He had his first receiving touchdown of the season in Week 11 against the New England Patriots.[50] He finished the 2018 season with 37 receptions for 371 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[51]

Detroit Lions

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On June 6, 2019, Kearse signed with the Detroit Lions.[52] On August 8, 2019, Kearse suffered a broken leg early in the first quarter in Week 1 of the preseason against the New England Patriots.[53] He was placed on injured reserve on August 10, 2019.[54]

Kearse announced his retirement on September 29, 2020.[55]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2012 SEA 7 1 3 31 10.3 17 0 — — — — — 0 0
2013 SEA 15 5 22 346 15.7 43 4 — — — — — 1 0
2014 SEA 15 14 38 537 14.1 60 1 2 15 7.5 11 0 0 0
2015 SEA 16 16 49 685 14.0 50 5 — — — — — 1 0
2016 SEA 16 15 41 510 12.5 36 1 — — — — — 0 0
2017 NYJ 16 14 65 810 12.5 51 5 — — — — — 1 0
2018 NYJ 14 9 37 371 10 29 1 — — — — — 0 0
Career 99 74 255 3,290 12.9 60 17 2 15 7.5 11 0 3 0

Business ventures and endorsements

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On July 28, 2017, Kitsap Credit Union and Jermaine Kearse announced a formal partnership.[56] Kearse acted as the credit union's celebrity spokesperson from August 2017 through April 2018.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Kearse married Marisa Ventura. The couple have two daughters.[57] Kearse is a Christian.[58]

Kearse is currently a program assistant at the University of Washington.[59]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "For Seahawks Wide Receiver Jermaine Kearse, His Foundation's Work With Military Families is Personal". Seattle Seahawks. November 11, 2015. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  2. ^ Mertz, Adam (January 31, 2015). "Lakes High School cheers on one of their alumni — Seahawks' Jermaine Kearse". Q13 FOX News. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "Local Boy Jermaine Kearse Traded by Seahawks, Now a Star for NY Jets". The Suburban Times. October 13, 2017. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  4. ^ "Jermaine Kearse College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  5. ^ "Washington Huskies Football Record By Year". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2008 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  7. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2009 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  8. ^ "Three Huskies Named To All-Pac-10 Second Team". Washington Huskies Athletics. December 7, 2009. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013.
  9. ^ "2010 Washington Huskies Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2010 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  11. ^ "First-Teamer Foster Leads UW On All-Pac-10 Team". Washington Huskies Athletics. December 7, 2010. Archived from the original on December 9, 2010.
  12. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2011 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  13. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Jermaine Kearse". NFL.com. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  14. ^ "2012 Combine workout: Jermaine Kearse". NFL.com. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
  15. ^ "Seahawks sign Huskies' free-agent WR Kearse". HeraldNet.com. April 28, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  16. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks – November 4th, 2012". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2012 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  18. ^ Condotta, Bob (May 30, 2013). "Jermaine Kearse seeing things more clearly in second year". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  19. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers – September 8th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  20. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Indianapolis Colts – October 6th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons – November 10th, 2013". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  22. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2013 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  23. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (January 19, 2014). "Richard Sherman's tip leads Seahawks to Super Bowl". NFL.com. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  24. ^ "Super Bowl XLVIII – Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos – February 2nd, 2014". Pro Football Reference. Espn.go.com. February 2, 2014. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  25. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2014 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  26. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins – October 6th, 2014". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  27. ^ "Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks – September 21st, 2014". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  28. ^ "Panthers vs. Seahawks – Box Score – January 10, 2015 – ESPN". ESPN.com. January 10, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  29. ^ Blount, Terry (January 19, 2015). "Russell Wilson, Jermaine Kearse come through for Seahawks – Seattle Seahawks Blog- ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  30. ^ "Super Bowl XLIX – Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots – February 1st, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  31. ^ Reiss, Mike (February 2, 2015). "Little-known Malcolm Butler an unlikely hero for Patriots". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  32. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams – September 13th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  33. ^ "Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals – October 11th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  34. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Seattle Seahawks – November 29th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  35. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks – December 20th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  36. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2015 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  37. ^ "Divisional Round – Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers – January 17th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  38. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2016 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  39. ^ "Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks – December 24th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  40. ^ "Wild Card – Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks – January 7th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  41. ^ "Divisional Round – Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons – January 14th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  42. ^ Boyle, John (September 1, 2017). "Seahawks Trade WR Jermaine Kearse And Second-Round Pick To Jets For DE Sheldon Richardson; Swap Seventh-Round Picks". Seahawks.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  43. ^ "New York Jets at Buffalo Bills – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  44. ^ "New York Jets at Oakland Raiders – September 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  45. ^ "Carolina Panthers at New York Jets – November 26th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  46. ^ Ripple, Zachary (December 3, 2017). "SEE IT: Jermaine Kearse makes incredible one-handed diving catch for Jets". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  47. ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at New York Jets – December 3rd, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  48. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2017 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  49. ^ Braziller, Zach (October 14, 2018). "Sam Darnold has a new favorite after receiver's bust-out". New York Post. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  50. ^ "Jermaine Kearse scores first TD of season against Patriots". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  51. ^ "Jermaine Kearse 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  52. ^ "Lions sign free agent WR Jermaine Kearse". DetroitLions.com. June 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 5, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  53. ^ Brown, Larry (August 9, 2019). "Lions WR Jermaine Kearse carted off after suffering leg injury". Larry Brown Sports. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  54. ^ "Lions sign free agent QB Josh Johnson and free agent RB Justin Stockton". DetroitLions.com. August 10, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  55. ^ Shook, Nick (September 29, 2020). "Former Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse retires after eight NFL seasons". NFL.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  56. ^ "Kitsap Credit Union and Jermaine Kearse Form Partnership". kitsapcu.org. July 28, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
  57. ^ Wisniewski, Lindsey (July 27, 2017). "Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse is 'loving every moment' of fatherhood". Seahawks Wire. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  58. ^ Mercer, Kevin (September 30, 2020). "WR Jermaine Kearse retires from NFL, looks forward to 'what God has planned'". Sports Spectrum. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  59. ^ Vorel, Mike (November 17, 2020). "Former UW, Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse joins Husky football staff as program assistant". Seattle Times. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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