Derrick Jones (born December 4, 1994) is an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the Albany Firebirds of Arena Football One. 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 ...

at Ole Miss. He was selected by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL draft.

College career

Coming in to the

Ole Miss Rebels football The Ole Miss Rebels football program represents the University of Mississippi, also known as "Ole Miss". The Ole Miss Rebels, Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Colleg ...

program as a three-star

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, Jones switched to

his freshman year and started four games. He then split his time at the two positions over his sophomore and junior seasons, playing sparingly at corner but working his way up to starting wide receiver junior year. However, Jones switched back to corner for his senior season. At the start of his senior year, Jones was suspended three games for violating the Rebels' conduct standards. In 2016, Jones took his first

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

for a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

Professional career

New York Jets

Jones was selected by the

in the sixth round, 204th overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. On August 10, 2019, Jones was waived by the Jets.

Green Bay Packers

On August 11, 2019, Jones was claimed off waivers by the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

, but was waived two days later after failing his physical.

Houston Texans

On August 19, 2019, Jones was signed by 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 ...

. He was waived with an injury settlement on August 26.

Seattle Dragons

Jones signed with the Seattle Dragons of the XFL on January 14, 2020. He was waived during final roster cuts on January 22, 2020. Jones was signed to the XFL's

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

team, referred to as Team 9, on January 30, 2020. He was re-signed by the Dragons on February 25, 2020. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.

Calgary Stampeders

In early 2022, Jones signed a futures contract with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). After registering to play in the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL) he was released by the Stampeders on April 8.

New Orleans Breakers

While still under contract with the Stampeders Jones then signed a separate contract with the USFL and entered the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL draft, also known as the 2022 USFL player selection meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released thro ...

, where he was drafted as a cornerback by the New Orleans Breakers, without informing the USFL of his contract with the Stampeders. On February 23, 2022, Jones denied he had made a commitment to the Stampeders. He was released by the Breakers on April 1, 2022. He re-signed with the Breakers on April 14, and was transferred to the team's practice squad before the start of the regular season on April 16, 2022. He was transferred to the active roster on April 22. Jones was released on April 19, 2023.

References

External links

Ole Miss Rebels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Derrick 1994 births Living people American football cornerbacks Calgary Stampeders players Green Bay Packers players Houston Texans players 21st-century American sportsmen New Orleans Breakers (2022) players New York Jets players Ole Miss Rebels football players People from Eupora, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi Seattle Dragons players Team 9 players Vegas Knight Hawks players Frisco Fighters players Canadian football defensive backs Players of Canadian football from Mississippi Arena Football One (2025) players