Jacoby Jones

Jacoby Rashi'd Jones (July 11, 1984 – July 14, 2024) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, Jones also played with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League in 2017.

Jones played college football for the Lane College Dragons before playing for the Texans from 2007 to 2011. Jones then played for the Ravens from 2012 to 2014, and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2012. He was known for two of the most memorable plays in the 2012 NFL playoffs as a member of the Ravens: catching a 70-yard game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos, which helped lead the Ravens to an eventual 38–35 double overtime victory; and a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, the longest play in Super Bowl history. At the time of his death he was the wide receivers coach at Alabama State University.

Early life

Jones lived in New Orleans East. Jones attended St. Augustine High School and Marion Abramson High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a second-year student (junior) at St. Augustine he learned that the school considered him too small to play on the football team. Allen Woods, his godfather and the assistant principal of Abramson, advised him to transfer to that school. His childhood house and high school were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

College career

Jones originally enrolled on a track scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University in 2002, but transferred to the Division II school Lane College in 2003. At Lane College, Jones became a four-time All- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection. Jones was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

In 2024, he was inducted to the SIAC Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

Professional career

Houston Texans

Jones was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2007 NFL draft.
For his first-career touchdown, he returned a punt for a 70-yard score against Miami in week 6 of the 2008 season. Jones continued to contribute as both a receiver and a returner for the Texans. At the end of the 2009 regular season, he was named as an alternate kick returner for the AFC squad to the 2010 Pro Bowl. In the 2010 season, Jones caught five passes for 115 yards in Week 16 at Denver, recording his first 100-yard game in the NFL.

On January 15, 2012, early in the 2011 AFC Divisional Playoff game, Jones muffed a punt, when he was rushed by Cary Williams and the ball was recovered inside the Texans 5-yard line by Jimmy Smith, in a play that contributed to the Texans' elimination by the Baltimore Ravens. Jones was subsequently released by the Texans on May 1, 2012.

In his 5 seasons with Houston, he caught 127 passes for 2,733 yards and 14 touchdowns, making an impact as a return specialist, returning kickoffs and punts for four total touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens

On May 8, 2012, Jones signed a two-year, $7 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

On October 14, 2012, Jones returned a kickoff for 108 yards and a touchdown in a win against the Dallas Cowboys, tying an NFL record for longest kick return. On November 11, 2012, Jones returned a kick-off for 105 yards in the Ravens' 55–20 win over Oakland Raiders, becoming the first player to return two kicks for 105 yards or more in a season. On November 18, 2012, in a division game against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, Jones returned a punt 63 yards for a touchdown, helping the Ravens win the game 13–10. It was the first time the Ravens returned a punt for a touchdown against the Steelers.

Jones was named to his first Pro Bowl as a kick returner for the AFC roster and was selected for the 2012 All-Pro team. His stellar play would continue in the playoffs. On January 12, 2013, in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Denver Broncos, the Ravens were down 35–28 and had one last chance to tie the game. On 3rd down and 3 from the Ravens own 30-yard line, Jones caught a 70-yard touchdown pass from Joe Flacco with 31 seconds left. The play, dubbed the "Mile High Miracle", tied the game at 35 and preceded a 38–35 double overtime win for the Ravens.

In Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, Jones became the first player to score a receiving touchdown and return touchdown in the same game in Super Bowl history. With under two minutes to play in the second quarter, Jones hauled in a 56-yard pass from Joe Flacco, eluding two defenders to score a touchdown. Jones then returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a 108-yard touchdown for the longest play in Super Bowl or postseason history. The Ravens won the game by a score of 34–31, earning Jones his first Super Bowl ring. Jones was then the feature player on the cover of the Super Bowl XLVII edition of ''Sports Illustrated''.

During the 2013 regular season, Jones was injured in the Kickoff game in Week 1 when teammate Brynden Trawick ran into him during a punt return. Jones would not return until Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers, where he had his first receiving touchdown of the season. In Week 13, on Thanksgiving against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jones returned a kickoff that would seemingly go for a touchdown, however Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin disrupted his route by "unknowingly" standing on the field while looking at the big screen in M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens would later win by a score of 22–20. The next week, in a snowy game against the Minnesota Vikings, Jones returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown in the final two minutes. The Vikings would then answer with another touchdown with 45 seconds remaining, until teammate, Marlon Brown, scored the game-winning touchdown with 4 seconds remaining, allowing the Ravens to win the game 29–26. In week 15, the Ravens played the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. On a crucial 3rd & 15 with two minutes left in regulation, Jones caught a pass from quarterback Joe Flacco that was good for the first down. Shortly after that, second year kicker Justin Tucker kicked a career-high and team record field goal from 61 yards for the 18–16 win. That record was later broken by Tucker in a game against the Detroit Lions in 2023. Jones had 6 receptions for 80 yards that game.

After testing the free agent market, on March 12, 2014, Jones decided to remain with the Baltimore Ravens and agreed to a four-year, $12 million contract with $4.5 million guaranteed.

Jones saw diminished productivity for the 2014 season and was released from the Baltimore Ravens on February 25, 2015. He was due $2.5 million for the 2015 season.

San Diego Chargers

On March 6, 2015, Jones signed with the San Diego Chargers. The contract was for 2-years, $5.5 million with $1.6 million guaranteed and a $1.6 million signing bonus. He was released on November 3 after the Week 8 match-up against the Ravens.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jones was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 5, 2015. Jones wore number 13, since his normal number 12 was unofficially retired for Terry Bradshaw. After fumbling twice against the Indianapolis Colts, Jones was demoted to backup kick returner and third-string punt returner on the depth chart. He was released on January 1, 2016.

In four games with the Steelers, Jones had 6 punt returns for 19 yards and 9 kick returns for 220 yards.

Monterrey Steel

On March 13, 2017, Jones signed with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League (NAL). He played in 8 games for the Steel, catching 19 passes for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. He also returned 2 field goals for 71 yards and 1 touchdown while also returning 12 kicks for 223 yards.

Retirement

On September 29, 2017, Jones signed a one-day contract with the Ravens so he could retire as a member of the team.

NFL career statistics

;Regular season

;Playoffs

Awards and honors

NFL

* Super Bowl champion ( XLVII)
* First-team All-Pro (2012)
* Pro Bowl (2012)
* AFC Special Teams Player of the Month – November 2012
* 5× AFC Special Teams Player of the Week – Week 6, 2008, Week 8, 2008, Week 4, 2009, Week 6, 2012, Week 10, 2012

College awards

* SIAC Most Valuable Player (2006)
* SIAC Offensive Player of the Year (2006)
* 4× All-SIAC (2003–2006)
* Lane College Athletics Hall of Fame (2016)
* SIAC Hall of Fame (2024)

Records

NFL records

* Longest kickoff return in a Super Bowl (108)
* Longest play in a Super Bowl (108)
* Most all-purpose yards in a Super Bowl (288)
* Most career kick return TDs of 105+ yards (4)

Texans franchise records

* Most punt returns in a single season: 49 (2011)
* Most punt return yards in a single season: 518 (2011)
* Most punt return touchdowns in a single season: 2 (2008)
* Most career punt returns (179)
* Most career punt return touchdowns (3)
* Most career punt return yards (1,820)
* Most career all-purpose yards (5,091)

Ravens franchise records

* Most career kickoff return touchdowns (4)
* Most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season: 2 (2012)
* Longest kickoff return: 108 (vs Dallas Cowboys, vs Pittsburgh Steelers & vs San Francisco 49ers)

Coaching career

Jones returned to his alma mater when he was named wide receivers coach with Lane College on January 16, 2018. After two seasons with the Dragons, he was back in Baltimore when Calvert Hall College High School appointed him to a similar capacity on October 6, 2020. Jones went on to coach the tight ends at Morgan State University. In 2022, Jones joined the coaching staff at Alabama State University.

''Dancing With the Stars''

On February 24, 2013, Jones was the first star announced to be on Season 16 of ''Dancing With the Stars''. He partnered with season 13 winner Karina Smirnoff. They reached the finals but came in third place.

Death

Jones died in his sleep at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 14, 2024, three days after his 40th birthday. A medical examiner's office in Louisiana announced on August 6, 2024 that Jones died due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease from long-term hypertension.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jacoby
1984 births
2024 deaths
21st-century African-American sportsmen
St. Augustine High School (New Orleans) alumni
Players of American football from New Orleans
American football wide receivers
American football return specialists
Lane Dragons football coaches
Lane Dragons football players
Houston Texans players
21st-century American sportsmen
Baltimore Ravens players
San Diego Chargers players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Participants in American reality television series
Monterrey Steel players
American Conference Pro Bowl players
High school football coaches in Maryland
Morgan State Bears football coaches
Alabama State Hornets football coaches
Coaches of American football from Louisiana