.jpg) Jones in 2013 | |||||||||||
| No. 13, 80 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | (1992-07-19)July 19, 1992 (age 32) Winnipeg,Manitoba, Canada | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Gainesville (Gainesville, Georgia) | ||||||||||
| College: | Notre Dame (2010–2013) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014: 6th round, 189th pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Tai-ler "T. J." Fitzgerald Jones (born July 19, 1992) is an American-Canadian former professionalfootballwide receiver. He was selected by theDetroit Lions in the sixth round of the2014 NFL draft. He playedcollege football atNotre Dame.
Jones attendedGainesville High School inGainesville, Georgia. He was namedMaxPreps.com second-team All-American as senior in 2009. He finished his senior season with 76 receptions for 1,399 yards and 18 touchdowns, which earned him all-state honors, while helping Gainesville get to the Georgia state championship game for the first time since 1982. He caught 81 passes for 979 yards as junior in 2008.
Considered a four-star recruit byRivals.com, he was rated as the 19th bestwide receiver in the nation.[1] After originally being committed toStanford, he switched his commitment toNotre Dame.
Jones enrolled early at Notre Dame in January 2010. As a true freshman, he worked his way onto the field, playing in 12 games, starting 7, while catching 23 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Jones became a full-time starter for the Irish in 2011. He played in all 13 games, starting every game but one, and recorded 38 receptions for 366 yards and three touchdowns. In 2012, Jones had his best season yet for the Fighting Irish, accumulating 50 receptions for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns. His year was highlighted by a game winning catch againstStanford in overtime and a berth to the2013 BCS National Championship Game inMiami, Florida. In the National Championship game, Jones recorded 6 receptions for 90 yards in a 42–14 loss versusAlabama. In his senior season, he set career highs in receptions (70), receiving yards (1,108), and receiving touchdowns (9). He also rushed for 67 yards on nine carries (7.4 avg), scoring two touchdowns.
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.48 s | 1.54 s | 2.59 s | 4.27 s | 6.82 s | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
TheDetroit Lions selected Jones in the sixth round (189th overall) of the2014 NFL draft.[3] Jones was the 24th wide receiver drafted in 2014.[4]
On August 23, 2014, Jones was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list with a shoulder injury.[5]
On September 3, 2016, Jones was waived by the Lions and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[6][7] He was promoted to the active roster on December 3, 2016.[8]
In 2017, Jones played in 14 games with six starts, recording a career-high 30 catches for 399 yards and one touchdown. He suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 and was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017.[9]
On April 9, 2018, the Lions re-signed Jones to a one-year contract.[10]
On July 27, 2019, Jones signed with theNew York Giants.[11] He was waived on August 31, 2019, as the roster was reduced to the 53-man limit.[12]
Jones was re-signed by the Giants on September 11, 2019.[13] He was released on October 1, 2019.[14]
On February 14, 2020, Jones and theToronto Argonauts of theCanadian Football League (CFL) agreed to a contract with an annual salary of $200,000 CDN.[15] However, the contract was not ratified by the CFL and CFLPA as the verbiage in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) restricted rookie Canadian players to three-year contracts for at, or slightly above, the league minimum salary of $65,000 CDN per season.[16] As a result of the contract situation, and the cancellation of the2020 CFL season, Jones never officially signed with the Argonauts.[17]
Jones was born inWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, where his father,Andre Jones, was a member startingdefensive end of theWinnipeg Blue Bombers. Andre was best known for being a member of the1988 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team.[18] Jones is part Korean.[19]
Jones' godfather isRaghib "Rocket" Ismail, a formerNFL andCFLwide receiver and former Notre Dame star. His younger brother,Malachi Jones, a former Appalachian State football player, played for theMontreal Alouettes of theCanadian Football League (CFL). He was named the 2018 Rookie & Receiver of the Year of the Arena Football League (AFL) as a member of the Albany Empire. His other younger brother,Jahmai Jones, who was drafted by the Angels as the 70th overall pick in the 2nd round of the2015 MLB Draft,[20] played for theLos Angeles Angels ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) and currently plays for theNew York Yankees.
Jones and his wife, who isMTV'sThe Challenge star Theresa Jones, have a daughter named Easton Kaia, who was born in 2015.[21] The couple welcomed their first son, Maddox, in 2019. Jones and his wife revealed in January 2021 that they would be expecting their third child together, a baby girl.[22][23]
