Jakob Johnson

Jakob Johnson was re-signed by the New England Patriots on March 25, 2021. Originally signed by the New England Patriots as a free agent as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program (4/8/19) ... Released by New England (8/31/19) ... Signed by New England to the practice squad (9/1/19). was signed by the New England Patriots to the 53-man roster from the practice squad on Sept. 19, 2019.

PRONOUNCED YAH-kob

CAREER TRANSACTIONS

Jakob Johnson was re-signed by the New England Patriots on March 25, 2021. Originally signed by the New England Patriots as a free agent as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program (4/8/19) ... Released by New England (8/31/19) ... Signed by New England to the practice squad (9/1/19). was signed by the New England Patriots to the 53-man roster from the practice squad on Sept. 19, 2019.

SEASON REVIEWS

2021 (13/3)

• Appears in a limited role on defense and special teams.
• Made his first start of the season at fullback at N.Y. Jets (9/19).
• Made a key block on Damien Harris' one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter at Houston (10/10).
• Caught his first pass of the 2021 season on a 3-yard pass from Mac Jones in the second quarter vs. N.Y. Jets (10/24). He caught a career-long 29-yard pass from Brian Hoyer in the fourth quarter. His previous long was a 12-yard pass vs. Baltimore on Nov. 15, 2020.
• Caught a 2-yard pass in the first quarter at L.A. Chargers (10/31) that set up a Damien Harris 1-yard touchdown run on the very next play.
• Started at fullback vs. Cleveland (11/14).
• Made significant blocks throughout the game at Buffalo (12/6) to help the team rush for 222 total yards including a key block on Damien Harris' 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

2020 (16/11)

• Played all 16 games with 11 starts at fullback. Played primarily as a lead blocker and caught eight passes for 5 yards and one touchdown.
• Played as a reserve in the season-opening win vs. Miami (9/13), helping pave the way for 217 team rushing yards.
• Started at fullback in Week 2 at Seattle (9/20), caught a 1-yard TD pass, his first NFL touchdown pass, becoming the first player out of the NFL International Player Program to score a touchdown.
• Started at fullback and helped pave the way for 250-yards rushing from the Patriots in a Week 3 win vs. Las Vegas (9/27). Added a 6-yard catch that kick started a Patriots touchdown drive in the third quarter.
• Started at fullback and helped pave the way for 185-yards rushing in a blocking role at Kansas City (10/5).
• Started at fullback in a Week 6 loss vs. Denver (10/18).
• Started at fullback in a Week 7 loss vs. San Francisco (10/25). Caught one pass for one yard, fumbled but Isaiah Wynn recovered.
• Played a reserve role at fullback and helped block for Damien Harris's 102-yard rushing effort. Also saw time on special teams in a Week 8 loss at Buffalo (11/1).
• Appeared at fullback and made two catches for 6 yards in a Week 9 win at the Jets (11/9). Made a key second level block on Damien Harris 21-yard run on the game tying drive late in the fourth quarter.
• Started at fullback as part of a Week 10 win vs. Baltimore (11/15). Added 20 yards on two receptions, highlighted by a 12-yard catch and run that picked up a critical first down in the fourth quarter.
• Started at fullback in a Week 11 loss at Houston (11/22). Helped clear a lane for Damien Harris on a 9-yard TD run in the first quarter.
• Started at fullback and played a key role in blocking on both run and kick returns in a Week 12 win vs. Arizona (11/29). First supplied a critical block for a 53 yard Donte Moncrief return. Then paved a hole for a Damien Harris who picked up 18 yards that helped set up a Janes White score in the third quarter.
• Was the starting fullback in a Week 14 loss at the Rams (12/10)
• Played a blocking role that helped pave the way for 166 yards rushing in a Week 17 win vs. the Jets (1/3).

2019 (4/3, 0/0)

• Originally joined the team as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, switching positions from tight end to fullback. Began the regular season on the practice squad before being added to the 53-man roster on Sept. 21, after a season-ending injury to James Develin.
• Appeared in four regular-season games with three starts and caught one pass for 5 yards.
• Made his NFL debut in the win vs. the N.Y. Jets (9/22).
• Made his first NFL start at fullback and contributed with lead-blocking duties in the win at Buffalo (9/29).
• Made his first career reception on a 5-yard catch while also contributing with lead-blocking duties in the win at Washington (10/6).
• Started at fullback and left the game with an injury in the victory vs. N.Y. Giants (10/10).
• Placed on injured reserve on Oct. 14, 2019.

2018 (12 – Stuttgart Scorpions)

• Appeared in 12 games for the Stuttgart Scorpions of the German Football League as a tight end and totaled 43 receptions for 474 yards and four touchdowns.

COLLEGE

• Began his collegiate career at Tennessee as a linebacker before making the move to tight end as a sophomore.
• Appeared in 47 games over four seasons and caught three passes for 23 yards as a tight end on offense and made 24 total tackles on defense. Also returned two kickoffs for 25 yards.
• Earned SEC Academic Honor Roll honors for three straight seasons from 2014-16.

PERSONAL

• Played one season of high school football at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Florida., helping the Trojans to a 7-4 record.
• Recorded 112 tackles and six sacks in his first season of American football en route to earning Second Team All-Coast by the Florida Union Times in 2013.
• Wore No. 44 to honor high school teammate who passed away.
• Majored in kinesiology at Tennessee.

EXTRA POINTS

Born and raised in Germany, Jakob Johnson played tight end at the University of Tennessee from 2014-17 and returned home to play one season of professional football in Germany in 2018. Johnson entered the NFL International Player Pathway Program in 2019 with the Patriots as a fullback and expectations to make the team were low. "First of all, no, he was not on our radar. I don't think we would have ever signed him," said Bill Belichick.

"I would say he definitely started out as the 91st person on the roster and had a long, long, long way to go," added Belichick. "But he continued to get better, and certainly his physicality and his toughness showed up in the [2019] preseason. What he's done has been remarkable, and in a relatively short period of time."

Johnson worked his way onto the 53-man roster in 2019 before landing on injured reserve and by the start of the 2020 season, he was the Patriots starting fullback. Johnson capped off his NFL journey with a crowning moment on Sept. 20, 2020, at Seattle, when he caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB Cam Newton. He became the first player from the NFL International Player Pathway Program to score an NFL touchdown.