Foote was a college football All-American for the Michigan Wolverines, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft.

Foote was an All-Big Ten Conference first-team choice by the league's coaches as a junior in 2000, earned second-team honors from the media, he played in every game during his freshman and sophomore season.

The record stood until November 4, 2017, when Khaleke Hudson posted 8 against Minnesota in the Little Brown Jug rivalry game.

Foote also had a key interception of Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer during the 2005 AFC Championship Game.

[5] Foote had requested the release due to his diminishing playing time with the team after they drafted Lawrence Timmons in 2007.

[9] The team released him as a procedural move so he could begin his duties as assistant linebackers coach, and he officially retired from football prior to the 2015 NFL regular season.

On January 12, 2019, Foote agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become their outside linebackers coach, rejoining the staff of Bruce Arians.

[15] In March 2008, Foote paid for the funeral of Mark Brown-Williams, a ten-year-old child from Detroit, Michigan, who had drowned after falling through the ice on a tributary of the Rouge River in February.

[16] Foote had no pre-existing personal connection to the family, but he was touched after hearing of the tragedy, as he has a son of nearly that age himself and had played on the same frozen river when he was a child.