Former Vols standout from the Butch Jones era doesn’t get nearly enough love for what he’s accomplished since leaving Tennessee
The former Tennessee Vols linebacker has put together a solid NFL career.
The Butch Jones era wasn’t the most fruitful for the Tennessee Vols football program, but several players from that era remain fan favorites a decade later.
Wide receiver Jauan Jennings, quarterback Josh Dobbs, and running back Alvin Kamara are among the players from the Butch era that fans still follow closely in the NFL.
Another former Vol from that era, however, deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as the names above.
Former Vols linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin should be appreciated even more than he is
Former Vols linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin isn’t going to be a Hall of Famer. He won’t be gracing any Madden covers. And he’s never going to sign a record-breaking NFL contract.
Reeves-Maybin, though, is one of the most successful former Vols in recent history.
The Clarksville, TN native played a key special teams role as a true freshman for the Vols in 2013 before breaking out in a big way in 2014 and 2015, totaling 206 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and eight sacks across his sophomore and junior seasons (injuries limited Reeves-Maybin to just four games as a senior in 2016).
Reeves-Maybin was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The former Vol has spent the bulk of his career as a special teams ace, even reaching the Pro Bowl in 2023 as the NFC’s lone special teams player. He’s set to enter his 10th season in the NFL in 2026, which is an amazing accomplishment for any football player — that’s a feat that very few NFL players will ever accomplish (the average NFL career is a little over three years).
What’s even more incredible is that not only is Reeves-Maybin entering his 10th year in the league, he was also just elected to his second term as the president of the NFL Players Association.
The former Vol has served as the president of the NFLPA since 2024.
Reeves-Maybin’s longevity in the league, despite not being a star player, is incredibly impressive. And his role as the president of the NFLPA shows just how respected he is by his peers.
Not every NFL career looks the same. Reeves-Maybin may not be the focus of the midday sports talk shows that litter the airwaves, but he’s had an impactful career that certainly deserves to be celebrated.
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