Jasper Brinkley

Jasper Brinkley

Brinkley with the Giants in 2016
No. 54, 52, 53
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1985-07-12) July 12, 1985 (age 38) Thomson, Georgia, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:	Thomson (GA)
College:	South Carolina
NFL draft:	2009  / Round: 5 / Pick: 150
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2009–2012) Arizona Cardinals (2013) Minnesota Vikings (2014) Dallas Cowboys (2015)* New York Giants (2015)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-SEC (2006) Second-team All-SEC (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 316 Sacks: 2.0 Forced fumbles: 9 Fumble recoveries: 1
Player stats at PFR

Jasper Jerrell Brinkley (born July 12, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of South Carolina. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of 2009 NFL Draft. ^[1] He also played for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.

Early life

Brinkley attended Thomson High School where he started at linebacker, while receiving first-team All-area and All-state honors.

He accepted a football scholarship from the University of South Carolina, where he played for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team as junior college transfer from Georgia Military College alongside his twin brother Casper. ^[2] He started 29 of 30 games. He finished his career with 298 total tackles, 27.5 sacks, 30.5 tackles for a loss and 10 interceptions. As a senior, Brinkley captured All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) first-team honors as he started all but 1 game for the Gamecocks and ranked 2nd on the squad with 73 tackles. ^[3]

Professional career

Pre-draft

After the end of the 2008 season, Brinkley was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game ^[4] and was a participant at the 2009 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. ^[5]

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	252 lb (114 kg)	4.69 s	1.64 s	2.77 s	4.32 s	7.03 s	35+1⁄2 in (0.90 m)	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m)	26 reps
All values from NFL Combine [6] [7]

Minnesota Vikings (first stint)

The Minnesota Vikings selected Brinkley in the fifth round (150th overall) of 2009 NFL Draft. ^[8] On June 30 Brinkley signed a 4-year contract with Minnesota. Brinkley projected to serve as the backup to E. J. Henderson at middle linebacker. ^[9] His spot on the depth chart was confirmed when Henderson went down with an injury to his femur after a collision with teammate Jamarca Sanford in week 13 at Arizona. Brinkley stepped into the game in the fourth quarter, recording five tackles for negative 4 yards on Arizona running back Tim Hightower.

On December 13, 2009 (week 14), Brinkley made his first start against the Cincinnati Bengals. He recorded 7 tackles en route to a 30-10 victory over the Bengals. Brinkley has had a very close, apprentice-like relationship with Henderson who mentored him as a rookie throughout training camp and his first professional season, even quizzing him while watching film together.

On December 20 (week 15), Brinkley started against the Carolina Panthers in a devastating 7-26 loss. He performed admirably, recording 12 tackles (including 5 tackles of Panther's running-back Jonathan Stewart: a 14-yard loss, a tackle for no gain, and another for only a 1-yard gain) and 2 forced fumbles, the first of his career.

On December 28 against the Chicago Bears, the Vikings suffered a crushing 36-30 loss - their second in a row to a team that was not in playoff contention. Brinkley had 9 tackles, helping the defense to hold Chicago running-back Matt Forte to only 52 yards.

On November 16, 2012, Brinkley was fined $21,000 for a hit to the head against the Detroit Lions. ^[10]

Arizona Cardinals

Brinkley signed with the Arizona Cardinals on March 14, 2013. ^[11] He played in 15 games with 3 starts. He was released on February 28, 2014.

Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On March 9, 2014, Brinkley was re-signed by the Minnesota Vikings. ^[12] Brinkley switched jersey numbers with Gerald Hodges, while playing 16 games with 11 starts at middle linebacker.

Dallas Cowboys

On March 12, 2015, Brinkley signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, as insurance in case the team couldn't re-sign Rolando McClain. During training camp he was passed on the depth chart by other linebackers. Even though his contract included $2 million guaranteed in earnings, he was released on September 7 to make room for offensive tackle Jordan Mills.

New York Giants

On September 9, 2015, Brinkley was signed by the New York Giants. ^[13] He played in 15 games with 9 starts. On March 29, 2016, he re-signed with the Giants. ^[14] He was released on September 5. ^[15]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2009	MIN	16	4	31	30	1	0.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2010	MIN	16	0	17	15	2	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2012	MIN	16	15	100	64	36	0.0	2	0	0	0	0	3	3	0	0	0
2013	ARI	15	3	27	23	4	0.0	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
2014	MIN	16	11	74	53	21	1.0	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
2015	NYG	15	9	67	49	18	1.0	5	0	0	0	0	0	4	1	0	0
		94	42	316	234	82	2.0	17	0	0	0	0	4	9	1	0	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2009	MIN	2	0	12	10	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2012	MIN	1	0	5	1	4	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		3	0	17	11	6	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Personal life

His twin brother Casper was a defensive end for the Carolina Panthers. Brinkley is also married to Olympic hurdler Kellie Wells-Brinkley. ^[16]

His son, Dakyus, was a four-star recruit who will be playing college football for the Kansas Jayhawks football. ^[17]

References

1. "Gamecocks Have Seven Selected in NFL Draft". Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
2. "Thomson's Brinkley Brothers ready for professional football season to begin". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
3. NFL Draft Player Profiles - Jasper Brinkley
4. Gamecocks Send Three to All-Star Games
5. Six Gamecocks at NFL Combine
6. "NFL Draft Profile: B. J. Goodson". NFL.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
7. "Jasper Brinkley, DS #4 ILB, South Carolina". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
8. "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
9. Vikings Sign 5th Round Pick Jasper Brinkley
10. "Fines roundup: Tim Dobbins of Texans fined for Jay Cutler hit". National Football League . November 16, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
11. Cards Nab Jasper Brinkley
12. Patra, Kevin (March 9, 2014). "Report: Minnesota Vikings sign LB Jasper Brinkley". NFL.com. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
13. Eisen, Michael (September 9, 2015). "Giants sign LB Jasper Brinkley, add 2 to practice squad". Giants.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
14. Eisen, Michael (March 29, 2016). "Giants re-sign LB Jasper Brinkley". Giants.com. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
15. Jackson, Zac (September 5, 2016). "Josh Johnson signs with Giants". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
16. "Jasper Brinkley Live Chat - Dec. 18" . Retrieved September 2, 2017.
17. "Daykus Brinkley". KUAthletics. 2024 Kansas Athletics, Inc. Retrieved May 3, 2024.

External links

• South Carolina Gamecocks bio
• Minnesota Vikings bio