Gregory B. Jones Sr. (born May 9, 1981) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a fullback in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the athletic teams representing Florida State University (FSU) located in Tallahassee, Florida. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I, prima ...

and was selected by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in the second round of the

2004 NFL draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held from April 24–25, 2004, at the Theate ...

and also played for the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

Early life

Jones attended

Battery Creek High School Battery Creek High School (BCHS) is a public high school within the Beaufort County School District, located in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States. The school serves students in suburban areas of Beaufort, St. Helena, and Lady's Island. ...

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...

, where he earned all-state honors on offense and

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

, and also ran

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

, recording a personal best of 10.7 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

College career

Initially recruited as an All-State

Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

, he played for

Florida State Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

as a running back. As a freshman, Jones scored his first collegiate touchdown as a Seminole in the season opener versus North Carolina. Despite having a strong season it would end early; tore the ACL in is left knee finishing the season playing in seven games, and missing the last five.

Professional career

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars selected Jones in the second round of the

. In Jacksonville, he mostly saw action as fullback, filling in at tailback and as a substitute for Fred Taylor. In his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

season, Jones carried 62 times for 162 yards and three touchdowns. In his second season with the Jaguars, Jones rushed for 651 yards and 4 touchdowns on 171 carries. Due to an injury to his ACL suffered against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

during preseason on August 26, 2006, Jones did not play football during the

2006 NFL season The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006. The season began with the reigning Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeati ...

. During the

2007 NFL season The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular-season play was held from September 6 to December 30. The campaign kicked off with the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts defeati ...

Jones carried the ball 92 times for 319 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also added 99 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 catches and he was the first alternate on AFC

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

roster at fullback. He was scheduled to become a free agent but on February 13, 2008, the Jaguars signed him to a new deal. The deal was worth $17.4 million over 5 years, including up to $3 million in incentives. The deal made Jones the highest-paid fullback in NFL history. Jones was placed on season-ending injured reserve with an ankle injury on December 10, 2008. He finished the 2008 season with 62 carries for 213 yards & 2 Touchdowns and 33 receptions for 316 yard & 3 touchdown in 12 games. On December 17, 2009, Jones was placed on Injured Reserve due to an ankle injury and missed the rest of the season. Jones was the fullback when the Jaguars' All-Pro running back

Maurice Jones-Drew Maurice Christopher Jones-Drew (born March 23, 1985), often called "MJD", is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college foot ...

led the league in rushing yards in 2011.

Houston Texans

Jones was signed by the

on March 27, 2013.

New Orleans Saints

Jones signed with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

on August 6, 2014. He was notified of his release on August 29, 2014, as part of the team's roster cutdown.

Retirement

On January 14, 2015, he announced his retirement as a member of the Jaguars. He officially retired while under a one-day contract to the Jacksonville Jaguars on January 15, 2015.

NFL statistics

Rushing Receiving Returning

Personal life

Jones is a cousin of

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. Nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", he is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He was known for ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Greg 1981 births Living people Players of American football from Columbia, South Carolina American football fullbacks Florida State Seminoles football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen New Orleans Saints players