Quick Facts
SagittariusBiography
Jakob Elijah Johnson (YAH-kop; born 15 December 1994) is an American football fullback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway program.
Early life
Johnson was born in Stuttgart, Germany on 15 December 1994. He played for Stuttgart Scorpions of the German Football League on the U19 team before moving to Jacksonville, Florida in his senior year of high school. He was recruited by the Tennessee Volunteers as a linebacker.
Professional career
Stuttgart Scorpions
Following his graduation from Tennessee in 2018, Johnson returned to the Stuttgart Scorpions where he would play for a year.
New England Patriots
He entered the NFL via the International Player Pathway Program and was signed by New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. He was released during final roster cuts on 31 August 2019. After remaining unclaimed in waivers, he was automatically assigned to the Patriots' practice squad for the 2019 season. As the Patriots chose not to register him as an international player, he counted against the 10 man practice squad limit. However, this also means that unlike IPP players, he could be signed to the active roster. He was promoted from the practice squad on 21 September 2019 following an injury to James Develin and became the first International Pathway player to be activatedand play in an NFL game. He was placed on injured reserve on 14 October 2019 with a shoulder injury.
