One of the most colorful characters and prolific special teams players in the history of the Houston Texans passed away over the weekend. Jacoby Jones reportedly died in his sleep at his New Orleans home at the age of 40, way too young for a soul who conducted his life with a playful youthfulness right up until the day he passed.
A native of New Orleans, Jones was drafted by the Texans in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft, out of tiny Lane College. Originally slated to go to Southeastern Louisiana on a track scholarship, Jones instead decided to attend Lane College to play football. Jones had been a late bloomer in high school. He once told me in an interview that in high school he weighed “150 pounds, soaking wet, with bricks in my pockets.” In other words, NOT a big dude.
Eventually, that changed, and he grew to the dimensions of a prototypical NFL wide receiver — 6-foot-4, 212 pounds. Jones would play the first five years of his career with the Texans, before going on to a three year run with the Baltimore Ravens, where he would be an integral part of the 2012 Ravens team that won a Super Bowl.
Of late, Jones had found his way into coaching. For the last two seasons, he had been the wide receivers coach at Alabama State, and more recently, Jones accepted the head coaching job with the Beaumont Renegades, an indoor expansion football franchise set to begin play in 2025.
Here are a few more deeper thoughts on the sad passing of Jacoby Jones:
Wow, did his teammates love him
You can’t find a single Houston Texan from 2007 through 2011, and beyond, who will say anything remotely resembling a bad word about Jacoby Jones. Here are a couple examples below, from J.J. Watt and Arian Foster:
The way Jones’ career ended in Houston was unfortunate
Throughout his five seasons as a Houston Texan, Jones was one of the more complicated guys to root for, not because there were actual likability issues, but because his play was so inconsistent. He could just easily break off a 100 yard kickoff for a touchdown as he could inexplicably drop an easy pass on third down to stall a drive. Still, overall, Jones was a plus player for the Texans, given his record-setting performance in the return game. However, it was an inexcusable muffed punt early in the 2011 playoff loss to the Ravens, where he essentially handed a touchdown to them early in the game, that spelled the end of Jones in Houston. The Texans would go on to lose that game 20-13, and Jones was gone after the season.
But wow, did he bounce back in Baltimore
Ironically, though, Jones would end up signing a deal with the very same Ravens team against whom he’d committed his egregious error as a Texan. Things went significantly better for Jones in Baltimore than they did late in his Houston career. In the 2012 postseason, Jones would catch a crucial touchdown in the divisional round upset of the Denver Broncos, and in the Super Bowl that year, he became the first player to return a kickoff for a touchdown and catch a touchdown pass in the same game. It was nice to see Jones get his day in the sun, after being run out of Houston.
No, he really, REALLY bounced back
Jones didn’t just bounce back, though. He became an overnight sensation nationally, appearing on The Jimmy Kimmel Show:
And finishing third on Dancing with the Stars:
Jacoby Jones was one of a kind, and will be missed. RIP, Jacoby Jones.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
