Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Jordan Devey has died at 38, according to a post from his wife, Linsey Devey.
Linsey Devey shared the news on social media Thursday night and said his last words to her were: “We’ll talk soon.” In her Instagram post, she wrote, “Today would have been our 15th year anniversary,” and added, “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.’”
According to a GoFundMe website to which Linsey linked, Devey took his own life.
Devey’s football path was anything but ordinary. As a child, he dealt with Osgood-Schlatter disease, a painful knee condition that kept him off the field for several years when he was in eighth grade.
While he was sidelined, he picked up the tuba and later joined the American Fork High School marching band in Utah, which was nationally acclaimed. He performed at President George W.
Bush’s Inaugural Parade in 2005, and that tuba work became part of the story everywhere he played in the NFL.
After high school, Devey spent two years in Costa Rica as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Once his knee issues were no longer a problem, the 6-foot-7, 250-pound lineman walked on at Snow College in Utah and finished at the University of Memphis before entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
He went on to play for six NFL teams, including the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers and Raiders. He was with the Patriots when they won the Super Bowl in 2015, and he signed with the Chiefs in 2016.
After his playing days, Devey and his family spent time in Johnson County, where he and his business partners opened two now-closed California-based Cookie Co. locations in 2023. At the time, he told The Star, “Kansas City loves Kansas City,” he told The Star at the time. “There’s so many big things going on here.”
Devey also became known as a youth football coach in Eagle, Idaho, and tributes quickly poured in from that community after news of his death spread. The Eagle Stallions football team wrote on Instagram, “There are people who leave a legacy far greater than wins and losses. Jordan Devey was one of those people,” and added, “Jordan’s impact on youth sports in Eagle wasn’t measured by trophies or championships-it was measured by the lives he touched.
“He believed in kids, invested his time, shared his knowledge, and helped build confidence, character, and a love for the game in countless young athletes. He made every player feel seen, every family feel welcome, and every team stronger because of his presence.
“The fields won’t feel the same without him, but his influence will never leave them. Every practice, every game, every lesson about teamwork, perseverance, and doing things the right way carries a piece of what Jordan stood for.
“Our community has lost an incredible mentor, coach, and friend, but his legacy will continue to live on through the generations of young athletes he inspired.
“Rest easy, Coach.”
Eagle City Council member Robert Gillis also posted about Devey on Friday, recalling a May council meeting involving a developer and family seeking approval for a large home build in the Avimor area. Gillis said he learned then that the homeowner was Eagle High School Football Coach Jordan Devey.
“He was a very big strong healthy looking man who was very respectful and likeable. Even though that night, we did not approve the build without some amendments, he left our meeting very respectfully.
“I was extremely sad to get the phone calls and texts last night, which notified me that Coach Devey had died ... I am a huge advocate for mental health and wellness.
“We never know the internal demons and stressors that people in our sphere are facing. They can put on happy faces and act as though they have everything handled, and then something like this occurs.
“It is not a unique issue with any special demographic or economic group in our society. Suicide has no boundaries and it has unfortunately touched a lot of lives in our country, state, valley, and city.
It is something we may not be able to prevent, but we have to do better to keep trying. Every life is worth saving.”
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