Quick Facts
Biography
Timothy DeShawn Jennings (born December 24, 1983) is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Georgia, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Jennings has also played for the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Colts, he won Super Bowl XLI against the Bears.
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts (2006–2009)
Jennings was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 NFL Draft. From 2006-2009, Jennings recorded four interceptions and played in 53 games.
Chicago Bears (2010–2015)
2010
Jennings signed with the Chicago Bears in free agency and has started for them in the 2010 and 2011 seasons opposite Charles Tillman. In 2010 against the Buffalo Bills, Jennings returned an interception for a touchdown to give the Bears a 22–19 lead.
2011
His play has been generally solid, though he was benched late in the 2011 season by the Bears coaching staff after a poor game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15. He has since made multiple pro-bowls and recently signed a new contract with the Bears. He and Charles Tillman are considered one of the best cornerback tandems in the league.
2012
On March 2012, Jennings was re-signed to a 2-year contract, and was later reunited with former Colts teammate Kelvin Hayden. Against his former team in the season opener, Jennings intercepted first-overall draft pick Andrew Luck twice, marking the first time in Jennings' career that he recorded two interceptions in a single game. He also forced another interception by deflecting Luck's pass to safety Chris Conte. After week three of the 2012 season against the St. Louis Rams, Jennings became the first Bears player to record an interception in four consecutive games (dating back to the 2011 season finale) since Dave Duerson in 1986. Jennings was later named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. His seven interceptions led the NFL. In Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, Jennings sustained a shoulder injury, and was ruled out of the following game against the Minnesota Vikings. Jennings was replaced by former Colts teammate Kelvin Hayden. As of Week 16, Jennings led the Bears with 15 pass breakups, and his three games with more than one interception is a team record. On December 26, Jennings was named to his first career Pro Bowl. Jennings finished the season with nine interceptions, leading the league, making him the first Bears player since Mark Carrier in 1990 to lead the league in interceptions. Jennings was later named to the second team of the 2012 All-Pro Team, his first.
2013
In 2013, Jennings recorded a team-leading four interceptions, the second-most in his career, behind 2012's nine interceptions. In the past two seasons, Jennings has recorded 13 interceptions, the second-most in the league behind Richard Sherman's 16. Jennings was an unrestricted free agent for the 2014 season until January 2, 2014, when he was re-signed by the Bears to a 4-year contract. On January 20, 2014, Jennings was named to the 2013 Pro Bowl roster to replace Richard Sherman, becoming the second Bears cornerback to make two consecutive Pro Bowls, after Tillman in 2011-12.
2015
On August 30, 2015, Jennings was released by the Bears.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015)
Jennings signed with the Buccaneers on September 3, 2015. Jennings was released from the Buccaneers on November 9, 2015.
Personal life
Jennings is the younger cousin of former NFL cornerback Donnie Abraham.