Arthur Jones

Arthur Willis Jones III (June 3, 1986 – October 3, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Syracuse Orange. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft and won Super Bowl XLVII with them. Jones also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins. He was also the older brother of former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Jon Jones and defensive end Chandler Jones.

Early life Jones was born in Rochester, New York, on June 3, 1986, to Arthur and Camille Jones. At Union–Endicott he was on both the football and wrestling teams. He was a two time NY state champ in wrestling. As a senior, he had 64 tackles, six sacks, and one fumble recovery to help lead Union–Endicott to a Section IV championship. Following that championship season, Jones was ranked as the 18th best prospect in New York by SuperPrep.

Considered only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, Jones was not ranked among the nation's best defensive tackle prospects. He chose Syracuse over Pittsburgh and Rutgers.

College career In 2005, as a true freshman at Syracuse University, Jones was redshirted. Jones played more regularly in 2006. In a 34–14 win over Miami (Ohio), Jones sacked their quarterback, Daniel Raudabaugh, for a loss of seven yards. On November 11, 2006, in a game at Raymond James Stadium home of the South Florida Bulls, Jones recovered the first fumble of his collegiate career. As of October 21, 2007, Jones had five tackles for a loss. As of November 2, Jones had 14.5 tackles after the ball carrier crossed the line of scrimmage. In the beginning of the second half against South Florida on November 11, Jones injured his ankle on a chop block. On November 17, Jones was held out of the game against Connecticut and according to coach Greg Robinson the decision came because, "Arthur has been too good of a football player for us to risk putting him out there and really getting him hurt." For the season, he played in every game but the Connecticut game and was named second-team All-Big East. His season high in tackles came against Iowa when he had nine. After one month, Jones had four sacks to be one of the leaders for the Orange. After the 2008 season, Jones was named to the first-team All-Big East Conference and was an All-America candidate. Jones was one of only 10 players on the team to start every game. His season high in tackles came against Rutgers when he had eight. Following Syracuse's upset win over Notre Dame he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week and was also awarded an ESPN Helmet Sticker for his performance. He ranks sixth on the Orange career record list for tackles for loss.

He was considered as one of the top senior defensive tackles for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Baltimore Ravens Jones was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft with the 157th overall pick. He was signed to a three-year deal on June 21, 2010. During his rookie season, Jones he made a position switch from 4-3 defensive tackle to 3-4 defensive end. He played 2 games without a single stat. In 2013, Jones played 16 games (started 6) with 4.5 sacks on 27 solo tackles. During his first season with the Colts in 2014, Jones played 9 games (started 3) with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble on 34 tackles.

Jones was suspended the first four games of the 2016 season for violating the league's policy on performance enhancing drugs. After returning from his suspension, Jones started all eight games he appeared in and tallied 30 tackles before being placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2016, with a groin injury. On March 24, 2017, Jones was released by the Colts.

Washington Redskins On November 1, 2017, Jones signed with the Washington Redskins. He was placed on injured reserve on November 11, 2017, with a dislocated shoulder.

After the 2017 season ended, Jones announced his retirement via Instagram.

NFL career statistics

Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Source: Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2010 BAL 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2011 BAL 14 1 20 14 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 BAL 16 6 47 27 20 4.5 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2013 BAL 14 13 53 28 25 4.0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 IND 9 3 23 15 8 1.5 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2016 IND 8 8 30 15 15 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 WAS 1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 64 31 173 99 74 10 17 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0

Playoffs Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD 2011 BAL 2 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 BAL 4 2 9 5 4 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2014 IND 3 3 11 4 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 5 21 9 12 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

Personal life and death Jones earned his degree from Syracuse in communication and rhetorical studies. and is widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. His youngest brother, Chandler, was a defensive end in the NFL for 12 seasons, playing for the New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders. Their teams played one another for the first time when the Ravens defeated the Patriots in Week 3 of the 2012 NFL season, and again in the 2012 AFC Championship Game, also won by Arthur and the Ravens.

Jones had a son, Arthur Jones IV, who also plays football and received a scholarship offer from Syracuse as part of the 2028 recruiting class.

Jones died on October 3, 2025, at his home in Pompey, New York, at the age of 39. According to 911 dispatches, the defibrillator in Jones's home was activated, prompting an automatic fire and ambulance response, although his exact cause of death has yet to be released.