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Jake Locker

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Jake Locker
refer to caption
Locker at Titans training camp in July 2012
No. 10
Position:Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1988-06-15) June 15, 1988 (age 36)
Bellingham, Washington, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:223 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school:Ferndale (Ferndale, Washington)
College:Washington (2006–2010)
NFL draft:2011 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
TD–INT:27–22
Passing yards:4,967
Passer rating:79.0
Rushing yards:644
Rushing touchdowns:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jacob Cooper Locker (born June 15, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Titans with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft.

A backup during his entire rookie season, after becoming the Titans' starting quarterback for the 2012 season, Locker compiled a 9–14 career record with the Titans. He abruptly retired after the 2014 season, with the end of his rookie contract, following an injury-plagued, four-year professional career.

Early life

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Having grown up in Ferndale, Washington, Locker led the 2005 Ferndale High School to a 14–0 record and a state title, throwing for 1,603 yards and 25 touchdown passes for the season with only 3 interceptions. Locker was an excellent running quarterback, also rushing for 1,339 yards and 24 touchdowns during his senior year.[1] Locker earned first-team All-America honors from Parade.[2] He was also named the 3A state player of the year by the Associated Press and Seattle Times, also earning first-team All-state honors from both media companies.[3] In the 2005 Washington 3A state title game, Locker had four touchdowns and 272 total yards in a 47–12 win over Prosser High School.[4]

He helped Ferndale to a No. 12 ranking in USA Today's final West Region rankings, and a No. 12 ranking in MaxPreps's final national rankings. Personally, he was a highly ranked college recruit. He was one of four Seattle Times "Blue Chip" recruits and ranked No. 5 nationally at QB, and No. 1 in the West, by PrepStar. Locker also ranked 85th in Scout.com's National "Hot 100" and ranked 68th overall and fourth among "dual-threat" quarterbacks in Rivals.com's national rankings.[citation needed]

He was also a successful quarterback as an underclassman. As a junior, he threw for 1,314 yards and 16 TDs and rushed for 987 yards and 15 TDs. Locker led Ferndale to a 13–2 record and a Washington 3A state runner-up finish in 2004. He was selected first-team all-state by the AP. As a sophomore, he threw for 713 yards with nine TDs, while running for 478 yards and three scores. In addition to quarterback, Locker played four years as a defensive back at Ferndale and was the first freshman ever to start in coach Vic Randall's 21-year career.[citation needed]

Locker was also a standout baseball pitcher and outfielder. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the 40th round (1,212th overall) of the 2006 Major League Baseball Draft. He did not sign so that he could play college football the University of Washington.[5]

College career

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On July 31, 2005, Locker committed to the Washington Huskies football team.[6] Husky fans quickly dubbed him "Montlake Jake" and expecting him to be the savior of the recently struggling program.[7]

2006 season

[edit]
See also: 2006 Washington Huskies football team

In 2006, Locker won UW's Pepsi Player of the Week Award for his work on the service team after the Fresno State, Arizona, and Washington State games. He made the travel squad for every game, and suited up for all twelve games, but didn't see any game action. During this time, Locker quarterbacked the UW service team and redshirted.

2007 season

[edit]
See also: 2007 Washington Huskies football team

Locker was handed the starting quarterback position prior to the start of spring drills and emerged from pre-season drills as the team's starter. He was named the Rivals.com Freshman of the Week following his two rushing TD performance in the opener at Syracuse. He carried the ball 10 times for 83 yards and went 14-for-19 passing for 142 yards. Locker was named the SIonCampus.com Player of the Week after leading the Huskies to a 24–10 win over #20 Boise State, snapping the Broncos' 14-game winning streak. During a loss to Arizona, he became the 19th player in college football history to pass for 300 yards and run for 100.[citation needed]

On November 10, Locker was injured during a game at Oregon State, removed from the field by ambulance, and taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis. He returned to the stadium in the fourth quarter to watch the end of the game, though he was wearing a neck brace.[8]

Locker was named to the Rivals.com 2007 Freshman Second-team All-American team[9] and was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.[10] In 2007, he set UW records for rushing yards in a season by a freshman (986), rushing yards in a season by a quarterback (his 986 yards was also a Pac-10 record), rushing attempts by a quarterback (172), passing yards by a freshman (2,062), touchdown passes by a freshman (14), and longest pass completion (98 yards to Marcel Reece vs. Arizona).

2008 season

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See also: 2008 Washington Huskies football team
Locker passing against
Oklahoma in 2008

During summer of 2008, Locker played outfield for the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League,[11] where he was named by Baseball America as the league's top prospect.[12] Onhthe day of summer football practice in 2008, Locker partially tore his hamstring; he resumed full practices on August 18.[13]

In the second game of the season against Brigham Young University, with the Huskies trailing 28–21, Locker rushed for a touchdown with two seconds remaining to bring the score to 28–27. After tumbling into the end zone, Locker threw the ball up into the air and was assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. This backed the point after touchdown kick, which was to tie the game and in all likelihood send it to overtime, from the 3-yard line to the 18-yard line. The kick was blocked and UW lost by a point. The call was seen as controversial, in that it followed the letter of the rule dictating that players who score a touchdown must hand the ball over to officials in an orderly fashion but some believe violated its spirit, because Locker's act of throwing the ball was simply an emotional reaction to a big play and not an attempt to taunt his opponents or delay the game. Locker later apologized for incurring the penalty.[14] Against Stanford on September 27, Locker suffered a broken thumb and was sidelined for the remainder of the season, which ended at 0–12, the worst record in program history.[15][16]

Drafted again by Major League Baseball

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Locker was drafted as a center fielder at the end of the tenth round (321st overall) of the2009 Major League Baseball draft by the Anaheim Angels, the same team that drafted him three years earlier.[17] The Angels offered him a contract, but Locker declined.[18]

2009 season

[edit]
See also: 2009 Washington Huskies football team

On September 19, 2009, Locker led unranked Washington to a 16–13 victory over third-ranked USC. Tied at 13–13 late in the fourth quarter, Locker led a 68-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard game-winning field goal with three seconds remaining.[19] The win moved the Huskies up to 24th in the AP poll, the first time Washington was ranked since 2003. Locker and the Huskies had an up and down season, finishing with a 5–7 record highlighted by a 42–10 blowout win of No. 19 California in the finale. On December 14, Washington announced Locker's decision to remain and play his senior year at Washington in 2010, rather than turn declare for the NFL draft.[20] For his performance in 2009, Jake Locker was named Male Sports Star of the Year in the 75th annual Seattle Sports Star of the Year awards.

2010 season

[edit]
See also: 2010 Washington Huskies football team

In 2010, Locker was a finalist for The Premier Player of College Football Trophy, awarded based on the votes of fans.[21]

Locker finished his college career in the Holiday Bowl with a 19–7 win over heavily-favored Nebraska, despite completing only five of sixteen passes in the game.[22] This atoned for a 56–21 loss to the Cornhuskers in Seattle earlier in the season, a game in which Locker was criticized for his 4–20 performance with two interceptions.

This win lifted Locker's record to 16–24 (.400) as a starter for the Huskies. Twenty-eight quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the NFL draft from 2000 to 2010, but only five others had losing records as college starters: Patrick Ramsey, Kyle Boller, J. P. Losman, Jay Cutler, Josh Freeman. Locker graduated in December 2010 with a degree in history.[23]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2006 Washington Redshirted
2007 Washington 12 155 328 47.3 2,062 14 15 105.0 172 986 5.7 13
2008 Washington 4 50 93 53.8 512 1 0 103.6 56 180 3.2 3
2009 Washington 12 230 395 58.4 2,800 21 11 129.7 112 388 3.5 7
2010 Washington 12 184 332 55.4 2,265 17 9 124.2 114 385 3.4 6
Totals 40 619 1,148 53.9 7,639 53 35 119.0 454 1,939 4.3 29

Professional career

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Pre-draft

[edit]

With one year of eligibility remaining at Washington, Locker was considered to be a top prospect in the 2010 NFL draft by many internet mock drafts, with some analysts ranking him in the top three available quarterbacks. On December 14, 2009, ESPN's College Football Live reported that Locker would return for his senior season. In doing so, Locker passed up on tens of millions of dollars, as the new CBA between the NFL and the NFLPA would be going into effect before the 2011 season, significantly limiting pay for draftees.[18]

Adam Schefter posted on his Twitter page that an anonymous NFL GM, in speaking with ESPN NFL analyst Chris Mortensen, told Mortensen that Locker is "a bigger, taller, right-handed version of Steve Young."[24]

Prior to Locker's announcement declaring his intention to stay for his senior season, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay had projected Locker as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft.[25] But there was also some disagreement in certain circles with McShay's assessment—it had been reported that Locker was advised by the NFL Collegiate Advisory Committee that he would not have received a "1st round grade."[26]

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper, Jr. predicted before and after the 2010 draft that Locker would be the No. 1 overall pick in 2011.[27][28]

ESPN analyst John Clayton stated in October of Locker's disappointing senior campaign that the quarterback might fall to the 2nd or 3rd round in the 2011 draft due to his inaccuracy and poor play.[citation needed]

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 Wonderlic
6 ft 2+1⁄2 in
(1.89 m) 		231 lb
(105 kg) 		31+5⁄8 in
(0.80 m) 		9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.58 s 1.66 s 2.69 s 4.12 s 6.77 s 35.0 in
(0.89 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 20
All values from 2011 NFL Scouting Combine[29][30][31]

2011 season: Backup season

[edit]
See also: 2011 Tennessee Titans season

Locker was selected with the 8th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans.[32] On July 29, he signed a 4-year contract worth a reported $12 million.[33]

Locker saw his first real playing time on November 20, against the Atlanta Falcons, replacing an injured Matt Hasselbeck. In a losing effort, Locker threw for 2 touchdowns and 140 yards.

Locker completed his rookie season with 4 passing touchdowns as well as 1 rushing touchdown. He acted as backup and occasional relief to Hasselbeck, playing in five games.[34]

2012 season: Move to starter

[edit]
See also: 2012 Tennessee Titans season

After competing with Hasselbeck during the 2012 preseason, Locker was named the starter for the regular season on August 20, 2012.[35] His first start came on September 9 against the Patriots and was a rough affair, as he completed 229 yards passing and one touchdown with one interception. His first win came on September 23 against the Lions, when he threw for 373 yards and two scores in a 44–41 overtime Titans win. On September 30, Locker tore his non-throwing shoulder and was replaced by Hasselbeck. Locker was later confirmed by Titans head coach Mike Munchak as the starter on November 9 against the Miami Dolphins.[36] The Titans finished with a 6–10 record.[37]

Locker finished 2012 with 2,176 yards passing, ten touchdown passes, and 11 interceptions. He rushed 41 times for 291 yards and a touchdown, playing in 11 games.[38]

2013 season

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See also: 2013 Tennessee Titans season
Locker vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013

The Titans started their season week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He went 11/20 passing for 125 yards and had 0 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the 16–9 win.

The following week against the Houston Texans, Locker completed 17/30 of his passes for 148 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, but the Titans ultimately fell short in the game losing 30–24 in overtime.

On September 22, 2013, Locker became the first Titans quarterback to beat the San Diego Chargers since the club's 1992 season as the Houston Oilers; Locker threw a 34-yard strike to Justin Hunter with fifteen seconds to go, securing a 20–17 Titans win. Locker earlier in that game had rushed in a seven-yard score.

On September 29, 2013, in a 38–13 win over the New York Jets, Locker was hit by two Jets defenders and was carted off the field with what appeared to be a serious right leg injury. Initial news reports, from multiple sources, indicated that the injury was to his right hip. Locker, according to a report by the team posted on USA Today, would miss three weeks. Ryan Fitzpatrick became the Titans' starting quarterback for the next two games.

On October 19, the ESPN website reported Locker would start against the 49ers;[39] he completed 25 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns with his first interception of the season in a 31–17 loss.

On November 3, Locker played against the Rams. He completed 13/22 of his passes for 185 yards. He had no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He added on 3 carries for 10 yards and a touchdown rushing. Despite a poor passing performance, the Titans won 28–21.

During a November 10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Locker sustained a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, ending his season.[40] Fitzpatrick started for the Titans for the rest of the season and the team finished with a 7–9 record.[41][42]

2014 season

[edit]
See also: 2014 Tennessee Titans season

On April 30, 2014, the Titans declined the fifth-year option on Locker's contract, which was considered unsurprising due to his history of injuries.[43] Having posted a winning record in the previous season and entering the last year of his contract, the 2014 season was considered a make-or-break season for him. Locker started off the 2014 season under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. He played in week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and completed 66% of his passes for 266 yards, 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, with a passer rating of 111.4. During a week three loss against the Cincinnati Bengals, Locker injured his right wrist [44] and missed the next game against the Indianapolis Colts. He returned to play in the week five game against the Cleveland Browns, but suffered a thumb injury before the second half.[45]

On October 22, 2014, Locker was benched along with Charlie Whitehurst in favor of rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger.[46] He returned to start the Week 15 game against the New York Jets, and left the game with a shoulder injury. He was subsequently placed on injured reserve, ending his season.[47]

Retirement

[edit]

Although there was considerable interest around the NFL in signing him as a free agent, Locker announced his retirement from the NFL on March 10, 2015, saying he no longer had the same extreme focus on playing, and that it wouldn't be fair to a team which signed him.[48][18]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacked Fumbles
GP GS Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Sck Yds Fum Lost
2011 TEN 5 0 34 66 51.5 542 8.2 4 0 99.4 8 56 7.0 1 5 37 0 0
2012 TEN 11 11 177 314 56.4 2,176 6.9 10 11 74.0 41 291 7.1 1 25 151 4 4
2013 TEN 7 7 111 183 60.7 1,256 6.9 8 4 86.7 24 155 6.5 2 16 105 3 2
2014 TEN 7 5 86 146 58.9 993 6.8 5 7 70.9 22 142 6.5 1 14 85 3 1
Total 30 23 408 709 57.5 4,967 7.0 27 22 79.0 95 644 6.8 5 60 378 10 7

Personal life

[edit]

On December 18, 2010, Locker became engaged to Lauren Greer, a former University of Washington softball player. The two married and have a daughter and three sons.[49] He is the co-owner of a fitness center in Ferndale with former NFL punter Michael Koenen,[50] and in 2018 began taking courses in theology.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jake Locker Player Stats". Statewide Stats. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2008.
  2. ^ "2006 All-Americans". Parade Magazine. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
  3. ^ "Blue-chip football recruits". The Seattle Times. January 26, 2006. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  4. ^ "Locker leads Ferndale to 3A state championship". The Seattle Times. December 2, 2005. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
  5. ^ "40th Round of the 2006 MLB Draft". June 10, 2006. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Miller, Ted (August 1, 2005). "Ferndale QB Locker commits to Washington". Seattle PI.
  7. ^ Yardley, William (December 30, 2010). "A High-Tech City's Down-Home Hero". The New York Times. p. A14. Archived from the original on February 15, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  8. ^ Condotta, Bob (November 10, 2007). "Huskies' Locker taken off field in ambulance". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  9. ^ Condotta, Bob (November 27, 2007). "Locker, Tolar named to All-Freshman team". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2007. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  10. ^ Yanity, Molly (December 3, 2007). "Locker named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year". Seattle PI. Archived from the original on July 7, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2007.
  11. ^ Parrish, Craig (June 7, 2008). "Jake Locker a hit in Bell's opener". The Bellingham Herald. p. C1.
  12. ^ "Summer College Leagues: Top 10 Prospects". BaseballAmerica.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2008. Retrieved September 11, 2008.
  13. ^ "Jake Locker is Back". Jake-Locker.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
  14. ^ Booth, Tim (September 6, 2009). "No. 15 BYU holds on for 28–27 win over Washington". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  15. ^ "Locker has broken right thumb". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. September 30, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  16. ^ "2008 Washington Huskies Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  17. ^ "2009 Baseball Draft". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Bishop, Greg (April 18, 2018). "Why Jake Locker Walked Away From Football—and Why He Doesn't Miss It". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Poust, Nick (September 20, 2009). "Jake Locker Leads Washington Huskies To Upset Victory Over USC Trojans". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Staff. "Locker to return to Washington for senior season". University of Washington. Archived from the original on November 17, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  21. ^ Staff (January 19, 2010). "Sports Star of the Year announced". Seattle Times=2010-01-19. Archived from the original on January 29, 2010.
  22. ^ "Holiday Bowl - Washington vs Nebraska Box Score, December 30, 2010". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  23. ^ William Yardley (December 29, 2010). "A High-Tech City's Down-Home Hero". New York Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.-->
  24. ^ Schefter, Adam. (December 9, 2009).Twitter.com Archived October 27, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  25. ^ McShay, Todd (December 13, 2009). "QB Jake Locker tops Scouts Inc.'s first 2010 mock draft". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  26. ^ Florio, Mike (December 18, 2009). "Locker didn't get a first-round grade from Advisory Committee". Pro Football Talk. Archived from the original on April 3, 2010. Retrieved March 18, 2010..
  27. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 7, 2010). "NFL draft expert says Washington QB Jake Locker will be first pick in 2011". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010..
  28. ^ Johns, Greg (April 26, 2010). "Kiper: Locker a 'legit possibility' to go No. 1 next year". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010..
  29. ^ "Jake Locker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  30. ^ "Jake Locker, Washington, QB, 2011 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
  31. ^ Henderson, Brady (March 17, 2011). "Jake Locker scores low on Wonderlic". My Northwest. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
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  33. ^ "Titans agree to deal with No. 8 pick QB Locker". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 29, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  34. ^ "Jake Locker 2011 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
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  38. ^ "Jake Locker 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  39. ^ "Source: Titans QB Locker to start vs. 49ers". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 19, 2013. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  40. ^ Kuharsky, Paul (November 11, 2013). "Locker lost for season due to Lisfranc injury". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  41. ^ "Jake Locker 2013 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  42. ^ "2013 Tennessee Titans Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  43. ^ Wyatt, Jim (April 30, 2014). "Titans decline Jake Locker's fifth-year contract option". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  44. ^ Kuharsky, Paul (September 22, 2014). "Jake Locker suffers wrist injury". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  45. ^ Kuharsky, Paul (October 5, 2014). "Jake Locker exits with hand injury". ABC News. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  46. ^ Wyatt, Jim (October 22, 2014). "Titans plan to start Zach Mettenberger against Texans". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  47. ^ Mello, Igor (December 15, 2014). "Report: Jake Locker placed on IR, likely ending Titans career". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  48. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 10, 2015). "Jake Locker announces retirement from NFL". NFL.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  49. ^ "Jake Locker Engaged to Lauren Greer". Jake Locker Fan Website. December 20, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  50. ^ Caple, Jim. "A decade later, Jake Locker cherishes his time as a Husky". UW Magazine — University of Washington Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
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