Introduction
Tony Jefferson (born January 27, 1992) is an American football strong safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma.
High school career
Jefferson attended Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, California, where he made 88 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four sacks, two fumbles caused, two fumbles recovered, and lead Eastlake to a San Diego Division 1 CIF championship his senior year. He earned a 2009 USA Today All-American selection. Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jefferson was listed as the No. 4 cornerback prospect in the class of 2010. He played in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
College career
At Oklahoma, Jefferson was a 2010 Freshman All-American by College Football News, The Sporting News, and Big 12 Conference co-Defensive Freshman of the Year (along with OSU Cowboys linebacker Shaun Lewis).
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals on May 13, 2013. In just his second preseason game, against the Dallas Cowboys, Jefferson recorded 2 interceptions to go along with 5 tackles.
After the 2013 season, Jefferson became a nominal starter and racked up 74 tackles in his first year in the main line-up. He has since solidified a role on the team in the form of the third-safety, playing a large number of snaps and occasionally taking the field in end-of-game situations.
Jefferson suffered an MCL sprain in Week 16 of the 2016 season and was placed on injured reserve.