.JPG) Jones with theOakland Raiders in 2014 | |||||||||
| No. 89 | |||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1984-03-31)March 31, 1984 (age 41) San Jose, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Gunderson(San Jose, California) | ||||||||
| College | San Jose State (2002–2006) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2007: 3rd round, 78th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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James Deandre Jones (born March 31, 1984) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theSan Jose State Spartans and was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the third round of the2007 NFL draft. With the Packers, he helped them winSuper Bowl XLV over thePittsburgh Steelers. He also played for theOakland Raiders. After his playing career, Jones went into sports media and became anNFL Network analyst.[1] In September 2024, he became a co-host onFox Sports 1's (FS1) sports talk showThe Facility.
Jones and his mother, Janet, lived in various homeless shelters. Jones then lived with his paternal grandmother during his high school years. AtGunderson High School inSan Jose, California, Jones playedbasketball,track, andfootball.[2] During his senior year, Jones was his team's most valuable player as aquarterback.[2] Jones credits hisPop Warner football coach, Marion Larrea, with turning his life around. Larrea saw potential in Jones and treated him as part of his own family. Jones fine-tuned his skills at San Jose State under the leadership of wideout coach Keith (K-Dubb) Williams. After winningSuper Bowl XLV in 2011, Jones autographed and gave his game-worn jersey to Larrea, saying he would not have achieved what he did without him.[3]
After three years atSan Jose State University, Jones had a breakthrough 2006 senior season, where he caught 70 passes, good for 893 yards and 10touchdowns.[2] Jones capped off his senior season by catching six passes (106 yards), two for touchdowns, en route to being named the offensive MVP of the inauguralNew Mexico Bowl.[4] His accomplishments his senior year earned him second-team All-WAC honors along with an invite to theNFL Combine inIndianapolis, Indiana.[2][5]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft0+3⁄4 in (1.85 m) | 207 lb (94 kg) | 32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.58 s | 1.49 s | 2.62 s | 4.20 s | 7.06 s | 35 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 22 reps | 9 |
| Arm and hand spans fromPro Day at San Jose State on March 6, 2007; other measurables from theNFL Scouting Combine[6][7][8] | ||||||||||||
Jones was selected by theGreen Bay Packers in the third round of the2007 NFL draft.[9]
Jones was astarter for the Packers in the first game of the2007 season. He caught four passes for 29 total yards in a 16–13 victory over thePhiladelphia Eagles. Jones scored his first professional touchdown in a week four match-up vs. theMinnesota Vikings at theMetrodome. With Green Bay leading 16–9,Brett Favre hit Jones on a pass down the right sideline that went 33 yards for a touchdown, giving Green Bay a 22–9 lead. The Packers would end up winning the game 23–16. Jones was announced as theDiet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for games played on October 28–29, 2007. Jones had threereceptions for 107 yards including a first-quarter 79-yard touchdown in the Packers' 19–13 win over theDenver Broncos. Jones finished the year with 47 receptions for 676 yards and two touchdowns.
Throughout the 2009 season, Jones remained third on the depth chart, behind longtime veteransDonald Driver andGreg Jennings.[10] In 2009, Jones caught 32 passes, had 440 receiving yards, and scored 5 touchdowns. Jones added 3 receptions, 50 yards, and 1 touchdown in Green Bay's Wild Card playoff overtime loss against theArizona Cardinals.
In 2010, Jones finished the season with 50 receptions for 679 yards and 5 touchdowns. He scored 2 touchdowns in the2010–11 NFL Playoffs, one in the Wild Card against thePhiladelphia Eagles and another in the Divisional Round against theAtlanta Falcons. The Packers would go on to winSuper Bowl XLV against thePittsburgh Steelers, with Jones catching 5 passes for 50 yards in Green Bay's 31–25 win.[11]
Jones became a free agent in 2011. During the off season, it was widely speculated that Jones would seek a higher salary with another team. However, he signed a three-year contract to remain with the Packers on July 31.[12] In 2011, Jones accumulated 38 catches, 635 receiving yards, and scored 7 touchdowns.[13]
In 2012, Jones started all 16 regular season games for the first time in his career. He ended the season with a career-high 64 receptions, 784 receiving yards, and 14 touchdowns.[14] His 14 touchdown receptions led the entire NFL.[15] On October 14, 2012, Jones caught two touchdown passes for the third consecutive game against theHouston Texans, tying a franchise record established by Don Hutson in 1943.[16] On December 16, against theChicago Bears, Jones had three touchdown catches in a game for the first time in his career.[17] He also started both of Green Bay's games in the2012–13 NFL Playoffs. In the Packers Wild Card playoff victory against theMinnesota Vikings, Jones posted 4 receptions for 51 yards.[18] The following week, Jones had 4 catches, 87 yards and 1 touchdown in the Packers Divisional Round playoff loss to theSan Francisco 49ers.[19]
In 2013, after the departure of Jennings and Driver during the off season, Jones started in 14 games. With 59 receptions and 3 touchdowns, Jones had a then career high 817 receiving yards and career long 83-yard reception.[20]
On March 17, 2014, Jones signed a three-year deal with theOakland Raiders.[21] On November 20, Jones had the game-winning touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs, winning the game for the Raiders, and ending their 16-game losing streak.[22] In his single season with the Raiders he led them in catches (73) and receiving touchdowns (6).[23] The Raiders released Jones on May 5, 2015, after the2015 NFL draft and the selection ofAmari Cooper along with the signing ofMichael Crabtree from the San Francisco 49ers.[24]
On July 30, 2015, Jones signed a one-year deal with theNew York Giants.[25] He was released by the Giants on September 5, 2015.[26]
On September 6, 2015, a day after being released by the Giants, Jones agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Packers.[27] Jones started the 2015 season with two receiving touchdowns against the Chicago Bears in Week 1, a 31–23 victory.[28] In Week 3, against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had seven receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown in the 38–28 victory.[29]
On November 22, 2015, Jones became an Internet sensation after wearing a greenhooded sweatshirt underneath his jersey during a 34-degree game against the Minnesota Vikings atTCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.[30][31][32] On June 9, 2016, it was reported by multiple sources that the NFL had added a rule for its rulebook in 2016, banning players from having their hooded sweatshirts over their shoulderpads, as it blocks the nameplate of the player's jersey. This will apply as a uniform violation and did not require a vote amongst team owners.[33]
For the second year in a row, he led his team in receiving touchdowns (8), while also leading the Packers in receiving yards (890).[34][35]
Jones signed a one-year contract with theSan Diego Chargers on August 2, 2016.[36] On August 29, 2016, he was released by the Chargers.[37]
On September 6, 2017, Jones announced his retirement from the NFL.[38]
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2007 | GB | 16 | 9 | 47 | 676 | 14.4 | 79 | 2 |
| 2008 | GB | 10 | 2 | 20 | 274 | 13.7 | 46 | 1 |
| 2009 | GB | 16 | 3 | 32 | 440 | 13.8 | 74 | 5 |
| 2010 | GB | 16 | 3 | 50 | 679 | 13.6 | 66 | 5 |
| 2011 | GB | 16 | 0 | 38 | 635 | 16.7 | 70 | 7 |
| 2012 | GB | 16 | 16 | 64 | 784 | 12.3 | 49 | 14 |
| 2013 | GB | 14 | 14 | 59 | 817 | 13.8 | 83 | 3 |
| 2014 | OAK | 16 | 10 | 73 | 666 | 9.1 | 42 | 6 |
| 2015 | GB | 16 | 15 | 50 | 890 | 17.8 | 65 | 8 |
| Total | 136 | 72 | 433 | 5,861 | 13.5 | 83 | 51 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2007 | GB | 2 | 0 | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2009 | GB | 1 | 0 | 3 | 50 | 16.7 | 30 | 1 |
| 2010 | GB | 4 | 1 | 11 | 144 | 13.1 | 34 | 2 |
| 2011 | GB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |
| 2012 | GB | 2 | 2 | 8 | 138 | 17.2 | 44 | 1 |
| 2013 | GB | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2015 | GB | 2 | 2 | 7 | 81 | 11.6 | 34 | 0 |
| Total | 13 | 6 | 35 | 491 | 14.0 | 44 | 4 | |
In 2014, after signing with the Oakland Raiders, Jones and his family moved toSan Ramon, California.[39] James Jones is married to Tamika, whom James met while they were freshmen at San Jose State.[40] He has a charitable organization, Love Jones 4 Kids, which provides financial support to homeless shelters.[41]
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