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, and tied for the longest kickoff return in NFL history at the time 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. 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.

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.

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 2021. 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. 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 Legend Won the Super Bowl Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team GP Receiving Punt return Kick return Fumbles Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD FC Ret Yds Avg Lng TD FC Fum Lost 2007 HOU 14 15 149 9.9 26 0 9 30 286 9.5 74 0 7 4 78 19.5 23 0 0 2 2 2008 HOU 16 3 81 27.0 45 0 2 32 386 12.1 73 2 17 13 280 21.5 30 0 0 4 1 2009 HOU 14 27 437 16.2 45 6 19 39 426 10.9 62 0 14 24 638 26.6 95 1 0 2 0 2010 HOU 15 51 562 11.0 47 3 31 29 204 7.0 39 0 15 23 494 21.5 35 0 0 1 0 2011 HOU 16 31 512 16.5 80 2 23 49 518 10.6 79 1 7 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2012 BAL 16 30 406 13.5 47 1 16 37 341 9.2 63 1 16 38 1,167 30.7 108 2 0 2 0 2013 BAL 12 37 455 12.3 66 2 21 19 237 12.5 37 0 2 31 892 28.8 77 1 0 0 0 2014 BAL 16 9 131 14.6 31 0 6 30 275 9.2 45 0 17 32 978 30.6 108 1 0 4 22015 SD 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 5 −4 -0.8 5 0 0 9 193 21.4 30 0 0 0 0 PIT 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 6 19 3.2 14 0 0 9 220 24.4 36 0 0 3 1 Total 128 203 2,733 13.5 80 14 127 276 2,688 9.7 79 4 95 183 4,940 27.0 108 5 0 18 6

Playoffs Year Team GP Receiving Punt return Kick return Fumbles Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2011 HOU 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 9 16 1.8 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 2012 BAL 4 5 147 29.4 70 2 8 110 13.8 34 0 14 362 25.9 108 1 1 0 2014 BAL 2 1 3 3.0 3 0 3 20 6.7 9 0 11 265 24.1 29 0 0 0 Total 8 6 150 25.0 70 2 20 146 7.3 34 0 25 627 25.1 108 1 3 0

Awards and honors

NFL Super Bowl champion (XLVII) First-team All-Pro (2012) SIAC Offensive Player of the Year (2006) SIAC Hall of Fame (2024) Longest play in a Super Bowl (108)

Texans franchise records Most punt returns in a single season: 49 (2011) Most punt return yards in a single season: 518 (2011) Most kickoff return touchdowns in a single season: 2 (2012) 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. He was 40 years old. A medical examiner's office in Louisiana announced on August 6, 2024 that Jones died due to hypertensive cardiovascular disease from long-term hypertension.