After retiring as a player in 1985, Youngblood worked in the Rams' front office until 1991. He also worked in the front office of the Sacramento Surge of the World League (WLAF) from 1992 to 1993, and the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s Sacramento Gold Miners from 1993 to 1994. He was a vice-president, then president, of the Orlando Predators from 1995 until 1999. From 1999 through 2002, he served as the NFL's liaison for the Arena Football League (AFL).
In 2014, Youngblood opened the Jack Youngblood Center for NeuroEnhancement in Orlando, Florida, which attempts to treat the symptoms of traumatic brain injury and offer care to patients in effort to restore normal brain function. Youngblood has stated, "The bonus with this therapy is that the time invested is minimal, while the results are extraordinary."
Youngblood was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of the 1971 NFL draft. He was the 20th overall pick in that draft and signed a 3-year $105,000 contract including a $30,000 signing bonus. That season, he backed up Deacon Jones at left defensive end and started four games when Jones was sidelined with a severely sprained arch. He was named All-Rookie by Football Digest and after the season Jones was traded to the San Diego Chargers. In 1972, the left defensive end position was Youngblood's as he led the Rams defensive linemen in tackles with 70, and started 11 of the 14 games he played, recording six sacks.
In 1973, Youngblood was a Second-team All-pro selection and went to the first of his seven Pro Bowls and led the Rams with 16.5 sacks. The Ram defense led the NFL in fewest yards allowed and fewest rushing yards. He was voted the Rams defensive lineman of the year by the Rams Alumni Association. Beginning in the 1973 season, the Rams added the unrelated Jim Youngblood to its roster, so from that time on, both Youngbloods had the unique distinction of having their entire name on the back of their jerseys, the given name appearing above the family name. The following year, 1974, the Rams again led the NFL in rushing defense and Youngblood led the Rams with 15 sacks while being voted a consensus First-team All-Pro and being named to his second Pro Bowl. The Rams advanced to the NFC Championship game, losing 14–10 to the Minnesota Vikings.
Youngblood was honored as the NFC Defensive Player of the Year by United Press International in 1975 and Pro Football Weekly named Youngblood the NFL defensive lineman of the year. For the third consecutive season Youngblood led the Rams in sacks (15) and was named to the Pro Bowl and a consensus All-pro again, repeating his 1974 honors. In a December 1975, 35-23 playoff win over the St. Louis Cardinals, Youngblood pass-rushed Cardinals offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf, penetrated into the backfield, then tipped and intercepted a pass by Jim Hart, returning the interception 47 yards for a touchdown. Later in the game, Youngblood forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Fred Dryer, blocked an extra point attempt, and sacked Hart to stop a Cardinals drive.
Youngblood repeated his NFC Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1976 while co-leading the Rams in sacks with 14.5, being named to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl, and being a consensus first-team All-Pro for the third straight season. The following year, 1977, Youngblood was voted to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl and a consensus All-NFC selection and second-team All-Pro while leading the Rams in sacks for the fifth straight season. In 1978, the Rams led the NFL in total defense and Youngblood was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl and was a consensus first-team All-Pro for the fourth time in five years.
One of the athletic feats for which Youngblood is best known is that of playing in the 1979 playoffs, including Super Bowl XIV, with a fractured left fibula. He also played in the 1980 Pro Bowl with the injured leg, a week after the Super Bowl. In the playoffs, Youngblood sacked Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach near the sideline in the waning moments of the divisional playoff game versus the Cowboys. Playing with the fractured leg was noted by Sports Illustrated in their Top 10 list of athletes playing in pain. For that and other achievements Jack was dubbed the "John Wayne of football" by Jim Hanifan, which was echoed by Hall of Fame coach John Madden. The NFL Network series NFL Top 10 selected Youngblood's performance in the 1979 playoffs as top on its list of the "Gutsiest Performances" of all time.
For the 1979 season, Youngblood had a career-high 18 sacks and was a consensus first-team All-Pro for the fifth time. He was voted to his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl. In 1980, he was second-team All-Pro and first-team All-NFC while leading the Rams with 11.5 sacks. In 1981, Youngblood led the Rams with 11.5 sacks and was the Rams outstanding defensive lineman. In the off-season, prior to the 1981 season, Jack had emergency surgery to remove a hot-dog sized blood clot from under his left arm. It was a result of repeated trauma to a nerve in his arm that blocked the flow of blood. Despite the broken leg and numerous other injuries, Youngblood played in 201 consecutive games, a Rams team record; and only missed one game in his 14-year NFL career. He played in seven straight Pro Bowls, five NFC Championships, and one Super Bowl. He was also the Rams' defensive captain from 1977 through 1984 and was voted the Dan Reeves award 3 times, which is awarded to the team's MVP. He had 151.5 career sacks and led the Rams in sacks nine times despite playing first in assistant Coach Ray Malavasi's stop-the-run-first defensive scheme and then in his final two seasons in Defensive Coordinator Fritz Shurmur's 3-4 two-gap scheme which limited some pass rush opportunities to make sure the opponent's running game was handled.
Youngblood faced a challenge in 1983 when the Rams adopted Shurmur's 3-4 defense. Critics thought Youngblood might be too small to play that position, yet he performed in it well (recording 10.5 sacks in 1983 and 9+1⁄2 sacks in 1984 while Rams were among the NFL's best defenses at stopping the run) despite being considered undersized. Among the standout games in Youngblood's final two seasons were the opening game of the 1983 season, against the New York Giants in which Youngblood recorded two sacks; and the 1983 season finale against the New Orleans Saints. In the Saints game Youngblood recorded 10 tackles, two sacks, recorded a safety and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Weekly for the effort. In Week 5 of 1984 against the New York Giants, Youngblood recorded two sacks, drew three holding calls and was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL. Then, in Week 10, against the St. Louis Cardinals, he dominated the game sacking Neil Lomax three times and drawing three holding calls, and blocking a potential game-tying field goal on the game's final play to preserve a 16-13 Rams win.
His streak of consecutive games played ended in Week 15 of the 1984 season, when Youngblood had to sit out his first football game since being a collegiate player in 1970. He had suffered a ruptured disc in his lower back two weeks earlier. Despite the injury, he returned for the season finale against the 49ers and the playoffs. He attributed his ability to play to a series of back adjustments that allowed him more freedom of movement, even though team doctors told Youngblood he was out for the season and needed surgery. He was voted the Rams' recipient of the 1984 Ed Block Courage Award by "representing everything that is positive about professional football and serving as an inspiration in their locker rooms being a positive role model in his communities". Though the injury ended his streak, Youngblood still holds the record for most consecutive starts in the NFL by a strong-side defensive end with 1884.
When Youngblood retired on August 27, 1985, he asked his career to be remembered for "dignity, integrity, respect and pride".
Youngblood appeared in two television movies: C.A.T. Squad in 1986 and C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf in 1988. In these TV movies, Youngblood played a Secret Service agent in the "Counter Assault Technical Squad" named John Sommers who was the "best weapons and munitions man in the business" and who was a fine secret service agent but hated big cities like Washington, D.C., and New York and was thus banished to Alaska. In the plotline of the movies "John Sommers" was a member of the Air Force Reserve who piloted an SR-71 spyplane. In these films, Youngblood starred along with Joe Cortese, Steve James, and Deborah Van Valkenburgh. He was nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for his role in C.A.T. Squad: Python Wolf.
Both films were directed by William Friedkin who is most noted for directing The Exorcist, The French Connection, and The Boys in the Band.
Youngblood was a radio analyst for the Los Angeles Rams from 1987 to 1991, the Sacramento Surge in 1992, and a television analyst for the Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993.
In 2000, Youngblood was hired as the co-host for Wal-Mart's Great Outdoors (with Bert Jones) and served in that capacity through 2003. Wal-Mart's Great Outdoors was telecast 52 weeks a year and was a mainstay on ESPN's popular Saturday morning outdoors programming block, drawing impressive ratings throughout its 10-year history.
In 1988, Youngblood authored (with Joel Engel) his autobiography, Blood. The book outlined Youngblood's drive and passion for professional football and reviewed his career, his injuries, his successes, and his failures on the football field. The book recounts when, between the 1973 and 1974 seasons, Youngblood traveled to Logan, Utah, to help Rams teammates Merlin and Phil Olsen with their summer football camp. An altercation in the parking lot of a local pub resulted in Youngblood having a .44 pistol stuck in his eye and the trigger pulled and fortunately the chamber was empty, although other chambers were not. A cut eyelid was the only injury he sustained. After initially pleading innocent, the assailant later pleaded guilty and received a one-year suspended sentence. The book was favorably reviewed by Publishers Weekly as "an unusual sports book."
After his retirement, Youngblood worked in player relations and marketing for the Rams from 1985 to 1990 and served as the Rams' color analyst for the Rams Radio Network from 1986 to 1991. Youngblood moved to the World League of American Football as the Director of Marketing for the Sacramento Surge in 1991 (although he remained as Rams color announcer for the 1991 season), during which time the Surge won the 1992 World Bowl. He moved to the Sacramento Gold Miners of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1993. He also served as a color analyst for both the Surge and the Gold Miners radio networks and hosted a sports radio talk show at KHTK-AM 1140 in Sacramento, California, when that station became a sports format station in 1994.
In 1995, he returned to his native Florida as vice president and general manager, then later as president, of the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. One of his major projects with the Predators was taking the team a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In 1998, Youngblood's final year with the team, the club won its first Arena League championship, defeating the favored Tampa Bay Storm. In 1999, he began to work for the AFL office as a liaison to the National Football League and served as a special consultant to the Arena Football League and arenafootball2.
Youngblood was a division president of Dave Liles Ethanol Fuels, which produces a fuel additive that purports to boost octane, clean fuel systems, and help the environment by reducing engine emissions and being completely biodegradable. He also owns and maintains a farm in his native North Florida, in which he currently raises pine trees and where he raised cattle until 2002.
During his NFL career, Youngblood partnered with Los Angeles Rams teammate Larry Brooks to open "The Wild Bunch" in 1980, a western clothing store that featured high-end western wear, including cowboy boots, cowboy hats, silver belt buckles, jeans, and other country apparel. Additionally, while still active with the Rams, Youngblood worked with BankAmericard, in a public relations capacity. He also owned and operated the South Coast Club in Huntington Beach, California, during his career.
Additionally, some of the sponsorships and advertising ventures Youngblood was involved with were a Miller Lite TV commercial in 1985 and Honda Power machines in 1985. He had print ads for Pro Tron Weights, regional ad, 1984, Dan Post Handcrafted Boots, national print-ad 1986, Cal-Gym, national print-ad, 1986, and was a national spokesman for Protatonin in 2001. In the mid-1980s he modeled Munsingwear briefs in a series of magazine and billboard ads. In the mid-1970s Jack did television commercials and print-ads for In-N-Out Burger, a California-based fast food chain.
During his career, Youngblood gained a loyal following which seems to continue through today. In July 2006, a game-used Jack Youngblood jersey sold for $6,565 in an online auction. Fox News' Mike Straka listed Youngblood as having one of the NFL's "great names".
In 2007, Sports Illustrated named Youngblood the greatest professional athlete to wear the uniform number 85. Youngblood was given the same honor in the 2004 book Right on the Numbers by Nino Frostino, and the Best Athletes by the Number blog. One of Youngblood's biggest fans, David G. Lewber, died on June 28, 2007. Mr. Lewber was buried in his autographed Jack Youngblood jersey a week later on July 3, 2007.
In October 2011, D.W. Cooper released Because It Was Sunday, a biography about Youngblood's playing career.
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