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.”
In Other News...
Kansas May Have Handed Kentucky An Edge Without Realizing It
Kentuckys offseason took a hit when Tyran Stokes chose Kansas, but the Wildcats have spent the months since building a roster that looks capable of absorbing that loss and maybe even turning it into an advantage. The mix of returning pieces and a strong transfer haul has given Kentucky a different kind of depth, one that could matter when the two programs meet in November.
Kansas, meanwhile, has not matched that same level of roster reinforcement in the portal, which is why the Wildcats suddenly look better positioned than the original recruiting drama might suggest. Kentuckys blend of continuity and incoming talent has created a more balanced team on paper, and if that holds, the matchup could end up looking a lot different than the recruiting headline that set it up. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Got A Major Sign About Will Steins First Roster
Will Steins first Kentucky roster is already starting to take shape, and the early returns from the transfer portal suggest the Wildcats are aiming to be more than just functional in year one of the new era. Kentucky has added multiple experienced pieces for the upcoming season, giving the staff some immediate help at spots that can make a difference quickly, especially up front and under center.
Among the headliners are offensive tackle Lance Heard and quarterback Kenny Minchey, two arrivals who bring both experience and a level of national recognition. ESPN placed Heard at No. 31 among transfer players and Minchey at No. 52, a sign that Kentucky is not only adding bodies but targeting players viewed as impact options. For a program trying to establish Steins identity early, those kinds of additions matter, even if the full picture of the roster is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Mark Pope Enters A Defining Season Kentucky Fans Cannot Ignore
Mark Pope is heading into his third season in Lexington with the kind of scrutiny that comes with wearing Kentuckys expectations every night. Last year never really gave him a fair runway, with injuries cutting into the roster and the teams overall performance falling short of what Big Blue Nation expects from the program, which only sharpened the focus on what comes next.
This season now feels like the one that will say the most about where the program is headed under Pope. Kentucky fans do not need a perfect year to feel better about the direction, but they do need a real postseason push, and the pressure around a deep run is hard to miss when the standard in Lexington is always so much higher than simply being competitive. [Read more 🡒]