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Ravens announce death of OLB Jaylon Ferguson at age 26

liz roscher
Staff writer
·3 min read

The Baltimore Ravens announced the death of 26-year-old outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson on Wednesday morning.

The Ravens released no other details about Ferguson's death. Tim Prudente of the Baltimore Banner reported that Ferguson was found in a home in North Baltimore after police were called at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night. The Baltimore Police are investigating Ferguson's death, which Baltimore police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge called "questionable" despite there being no visible signs of trauma or foul play on Ferguson's body.

“I can say that we are not ruling anything out,” Eldridge told the Banner. “We don’t determine cause of death, but we consider the possibility that it could be an overdose.”

Ferguson's agent, Safarrah Lawson, released a statement to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport about Ferguson's passing.

Ferguson, a Louisiana native, attended Louisiana Tech after graduating from West Feliciana High School. He redshirted as a freshman and went on to have a record-breaking college career. His 45 sacks over four years remain an NCAA record, and it earned him the nickname "Sack Daddy."

In the 2019 NFL draft, Ferguson was taken by the Ravens in the third round. He played in 38 games over three seasons, starting 10 and totaling 4.5 sacks and 67 tackles. He was placed on the COVID-19 list twice in two years: once in November 2020, and again in September 2021. According to ESPN, Ferguson had participated in all of the team's offseason practices this year.

Baltimore Ravens rookie linebacker Jaylon Ferguson walks off the field after an NFL Football rookie camp, Saturday, May 4, 2019 in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
Ravens OLB Jaylon Ferguson has died at age 26. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

NFL mourns death of Ferguson

As NFL players, fans, and media members woke up and saw the news on Wednesday morning, tributes to Ferguson began pouring in.