Ivy was originally selected by the New England Patriots as an undrafted rookie free agent on May 11, 1999. He spent most of his time on the practice squad but never saw any active playing time. In 2000, he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy.
First stint with Browns
On July 12, 2000, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns and was part of their training camp before being waived on August 27.
Chicago Enforcers
Playing for the Chicago Enforcers in 2001, Ivy lead the XFL in interceptions in the league's first year of existence.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ivy was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on June 4, 2001. He made his NFL debut at the Detroit Lions on November 11 and recorded six tackles. In 2002, he played in all 16 regular season games and three postseason games and was a member of the victorious Super Bowl XXXVII team. The following season, he again played in all 16 contests and finished the season with 17 tackles. In 2004, he played in all 16 games for the third season running posting 17 special teams tackles.
St. Louis Rams
Corey Ivy signed for the St. Louis Rams on May 2, 2005. In his only season with the team he played in all 16 games and recorded a career-high 57 tackles and two sacks.
On March 23, 2006, Corey Ivy signed a three-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens. He had a great season playing on special teams and nickelback for the top ranked Baltimore defense. His best game was against the Steelers where he had an interception, a sack, and a forced fumble that was recovered for a touchdown by Adalius Thomas in a win. It was also his first game back from a kidney injury against the Denver Broncos which he was told would end his season but he only missed 2 games. His injury earned him the Ed Block Courage Award. The injury is well documented because on the plane ride back from Denver the Ravens had to make an emergency stop for Ivy in Pittsburgh. During an interview with BaltimoreRavens.com after receiving the award Ivy said that FS Ed Reed was the person who got the doctor while on the plane.
Ivy followed that with a strong 2007 but in 2008, the final year of his contract, Ivy saw his role decrease. Following the season, The Ravens let several veteran corners go, including Ivy. But Ivy's first stint with the Baltimore Ravens was arguably the most successful stay of his career.
Ivy was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 24, 2009, after cornerbackKeiwan Ratliff was waived. On December 2, the Steelers released Ivy. He did not record a statistic.
Second stint with Ravens
Corey Ivy was re-signed by the Baltimore Ravens on December 22, 2009, after cornerbackLadarius Webb was placed on injured reserve and just before a game against the rival Steelers.[5][6] “I’m familiar with the coaches and the players here,” said Ivy. “I’ll need to get up to speed with the ins and outs of the defense. I’m thinking that not much has really changed. The defense is still playing at a high level, and I want to contribute to that.” He recorded one tackle in two regular season games but an illegal contact penalty on him caused an Ed Reed interception to be negated in a playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Ivy was not re-signed.