If you were watching the Green Bay Packers defense in the mid-2010s, you remember the flowing blonde hair and the relentless, almost reckless, pursuit of the ball. That was Jake Ryan. He wasn't the flashiest guy on the field. He definitely wasn't the highest-rated recruit. But for a few years in Title Town, he was the glue that held the middle of the defense together.
Football is a brutal business. Honestly, it’s kinda heartbreaking how fast things can change. One minute you're the centerpiece of a playoff defense, and the next, a single "pop" in your knee during a routine training camp drill changes everything. That's the story of Jake Ryan Green Bay Packers fans remember—a career of gritty highlights cut short just as he was hitting his prime.
The Michigan "Underdog" Who Beat the Odds
Before he ever stepped foot in Lambeau, Ryan was already a bit of a legend in Ann Arbor. Coming out of St. Ignatius in Ohio, he wasn't exactly a blue-chip prospect. Michigan was his only major offer.
Basically, he had to earn every single snap.
By the time he finished his career with the Wolverines, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection. He finished seventh on Michigan's all-time list for tackles for loss ($44.5$) and was second in forced fumbles. He even switched from his #90 jersey to #47 to honor Michigan legend Bennie Oosterbaan.
The Packers saw that grit. They snagged him in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Eliot Wolf, then the Packers’ director of pro personnel, called him a "football guy" who could find the ball quickly. He wasn't wrong.
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Making an Impact: Jake Ryan Green Bay Packers Years
Ryan didn't start immediately, but he didn't wait long either. By the end of his rookie season, he was starting in the playoffs.
You’ve gotta respect the numbers he put up during his healthy stretch from 2015 to 2017. He was a tackling machine.
- 2015: 47 tackles and a fumble recovery in 14 games.
- 2016: 82 tackles, and he started 10 games.
- 2017: 81 tackles and his first (and only) career NFL sack.
He and Blake Martinez became a formidable duo in the middle. They weren't the fastest linebackers in the league, sure. Critics often complained about their coverage skills. But if you needed someone to fill a gap and stop a 230-pound running back in his tracks, Ryan was your guy. He played with a certain "old school" intensity that Green Bay fans naturally gravitate toward.
The Training Camp Injury That Changed Everything
The 2018 season was supposed to be his breakout. He was leaner, faster, and entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Then came August 1st.
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During a training camp practice, Ryan went down with a non-contact knee injury. It was a torn ACL. Just like that, his season—and ultimately his career in Green Bay—was over. It was actually his second ACL tear, having suffered one back in college in 2013.
The Packers had to move on. They traded for Antonio Morrison and started leaning more on Oren Burks. Ryan spent the entire year in the training room, watching from the sidelines. It’s a lonely place for a guy who lives for the game. He told reporters at the time that he was trying to be "patient," but you could tell it was killing him.
Life After Green Bay: The Final Chapters
When his contract expired, Ryan signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. It felt like a fresh start, but the knee just wouldn't cooperate. He spent most of the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, eventually appearing in only two games.
He had a brief stint with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, but he never saw the field in a regular-season game for them.
The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" league. Once the injuries pile up, the phone stops ringing. Ryan finished his career with 213 total tackles, 1 sack, and 3 pass deflections. Those might not be Hall of Fame numbers, but for a fourth-round pick who was told he wasn't "fast enough" or "big enough," it's a hell of a resume.
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Where is Jake Ryan Now?
A lot of guys struggle when the cleats are hung up. Not Jake. He actually turned to a completely different passion: photography.
Specifically, he’s become quite the wildlife photographer. It’s a wild pivot, right? From smashing heads on a Sunday to waiting hours in the woods to catch the perfect shot of an owl or a mountain vista. Former Packers legend Tony Mandarich did something similar with his career in photography. It seems there's something about the artistic lens that appeals to former players who need a new way to focus their intensity.
Why We Still Talk About Him
Jake Ryan represents a specific era of Packers football. He was part of those Mike McCarthy teams that were always in the hunt, always gritty, and always a play or two away from greatness.
He wasn't a superstar, but he was a "Packer." He put his head down, did the work, and played through the pain until the body simply said "no more."
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Collectors
- Check the Archives: If you're a film junkie, go back and watch the 2016 playoff run. Ryan’s ability to "sift through traffic" was actually much better than the "slow linebacker" narrative suggested.
- The Photography Angle: If you're a fan of his work, look up his portfolio. It's a great reminder that professional athletes are multi-dimensional people with lives that extend far beyond the 100-yard field.
- Appreciate the "Grinders": In a league dominated by highlight-reel quarterbacks, guys like Jake Ryan are the ones who make the defense functional. Every successful team needs a linebacker who isn't afraid to do the dirty work in the trenches.
The story of Jake Ryan is a reminder of how fragile an NFL career can be. He gave the Packers three solid years of high-level play before the injury bug bit. He might be out of the league now, but for a stretch there, #47 was exactly what Green Bay needed.