Super Bowl champion Jordan Devey dead at 38, family confirms suicide

Former NFL offensive lineman Jordan Devey, who won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots and later coached high school football in Idaho, has died by suicide at 38, leaving behind a wife and four children now facing life without him.

Devey's family confirmed his death through a GoFundMe campaign posted this week, describing the loss as "an incredibly difficult and heartbreaking time." His widow, Linsey Devey, shared the news on Instagram on what would have been the couple's 15th wedding anniversary, posting photos of herself at his hospital bedside and another from their wedding day.

Fox News reported Thursday that Devey started 21 of his 44 career NFL games and held a distinction no other player in league history can claim: he blocked for Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen.

Devey played college football at Memphis before beginning his professional career on the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. The Patriots picked him up in 2014, and he started six games that season. That year's team went on to win the Super Bowl, giving Devey a championship ring before most fans ever learned his name.

He later played for the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, and Buffalo Bills. A photo caption from October 21, 2018, placed him alongside Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Another from August 28, 2021, showed him in a Bills uniform at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

After the NFL, Devey poured himself into coaching and community

When his playing days ended, Devey settled in Eagle, Idaho, and threw himself into the kind of work that rarely makes headlines. The New York Post reported he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Eagle High School, a role that went well beyond Xs and Os.

The family's GoFundMe described him as "a cherished member of the Eagle community, known for his unwavering dedication to serving others." He volunteered as a coach for his own children's teams and mentored athletes at the high school, where players "saw him as a mentor, role model, and friend."

His service extended beyond the field. The campaign noted that Devey "faithfully served in his church, offering support, counsel, and friendship to anyone in need." For a man who had blocked for three of the most celebrated quarterbacks in modern football, his post-career life was defined not by fame but by quiet, steady commitment to the people around him.

The loss of young athletes and former competitors to sudden death has become a recurring heartbreak in American sports. A former San Diego State volleyball star was recently found dead at 34, a reminder that the pressures and aftereffects of competitive athletics do not always end when the career does.

Linsey Devey's tribute: 'You were our hero'

Linsey Devey's Instagram post, written directly to her late husband, carried the weight of a woman addressing the father of her four children for the last time. She wrote:

"We have filled the walls of our homes and hearts with countless memories, joys, struggles, and triumphs. We brought 4 beautiful children into this world that have your eyes, freckles, and compassion. You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you. And as you said in your last words to me, 'we'll talk soon.'"

The post included a photo from their wedding and one of Linsey beside Jordan in a hospital bed. His last Instagram post came on June 1, though the year was not specified in available reporting.

Family suspects CTE played a role in Devey's decline

Devey's family believes he may have suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease caused by repeated head trauma that has been found in dozens of former NFL players after death. Breitbart reported that the family was unable to confirm a CTE diagnosis because of the manner of his death. CTE can only be definitively diagnosed through a post-mortem examination of brain tissue, and the circumstances surrounding Devey's passing apparently prevented that confirmation.

Devey's mother used the moment to urge others struggling with mental health to reach out for help.

"That help is there, and there's nothing wrong with you for reaching out. You're not fighting the battle alone."

The connection between football, brain injury, and suicide has shadowed the NFL for more than a decade. Offensive linemen like Devey absorb sub-concussive hits on virtually every play, collisions that may not produce visible symptoms in the moment but can accumulate into lasting neurological damage over the course of a career. Devey played 44 NFL games across six franchises, and the physical toll of that career is impossible to measure from the outside.

The GoFundMe campaign was established to help Linsey and their four children navigate the financial fallout of Jordan's death. No fundraising total or goal was provided in available reporting. No public statements from Eagle High School, the NFL, or any of the three star quarterbacks Devey protected have been reported.

Jordan Devey spent his career protecting other men, on the field, in the locker room, on the sidelines, and in his church. The people who loved him are now left asking whether anyone could have protected him.

If you or someone you know is struggling, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255.