When Jacoby Jones first signed with the Ravens a few months before training camp in 2012, all of the talk was about just how much the wide receiver/return specialist needed Baltimore.
Jones’ five-season run with the Houston Texans, the team that drafted him in 2007 in the third round out of Lane College, had ended badly. A few months earlier in an AFC divisional round playoff matchup in Baltimore, Jones muffed a punt deep in Texans territory, a key play in the Texans’ 20-13 loss to the Ravens. The gaffe, along with some previous mistakes, turned Texans fans against him and spurred the need for a change of scenery. He was cut by Houston just a year after signing a three-year extension.
What the Ravens couldn’t have known at the time was just how much they needed Jones.
The 2012 Ravens don’t win Super Bowl XLVII without Jones. In fact, they wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to play for a Lombardi Trophy without Jones on their side.
From the exhilarating return touchdowns to the “Mile-High Miracle” to the quick jokes, colorful quips and omnipresent smile, Jones became one of the most popular players on a team loaded with homegrown stars. He only played three seasons with the Ravens and yet, he’ll be remembered as one of the more impactful veteran additions in franchise history.
Jones passed away Sunday just three days after his 40th birthday. The cause of his death wasn’t immediately known. In a statement released by the NFLPA, Jones’ family said that he passed away peacefully at his home in New Orleans.
The statement asked for prayers, privacy and support for Jones’ mother Emily, and his son, Little Jacoby.
His death prompted tributes from former teammates like J.J. Watt, who called Jones “one of the most fun-loving teammates and people I’ve ever been around” and Torrey Smith, who described Jones as “one-of-one” and vowed to have his former teammate’s mother and sons back forever.
“We are completely heartbroken to learn about the passing of Jacoby Jones,” the Ravens said in a statement. “Jacoby had the unique ability to connect with everyone he encountered. His charisma, joy and love created a one-of-a-kind presence that could light up any room or brighten any dark day.
“Jacoby will long be remembered not just for his success on the football field, but for the lasting personal connections he made with countless people in the Ravens organization, Baltimore community and every area he called home.”
My brother! I thank God for the memories and your impact on this world. You were 1 of 1 ! Your play on the field and jokes will live on forever! We have Momma Jones a Lil Coby’s back for life! This one hurt me man! We are going to miss you!
Love you bro! pic.twitter.com/r9MZKU4sqb
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) July 14, 2024
Jones played parts of nine NFL seasons, his first five in Houston, his next three with the Ravens and his final one split between San Diego and Pittsburgh. He officially retired as a Raven in September 2017 and started his coaching career at his alma mater, Lane College, months later. That was the first of several coaching stops at the college and high school levels. At the time of his death, he was preparing to be the head coach and offensive coordinator of the Beaumont Renegades, an indoor team.
But Jones’ playing career will be remembered most fondly in Baltimore, where he enjoyed an All-Pro season and the best year of his career during the Ravens’ second Super Bowl run, and his colorful and exuberant personality proved to be an ideal fit on a team loaded with intense and business-like leaders, like quarterback Joe Flacco, wide receiver Anquan Boldin, guard Marshal Yanda, middle linebacker Ray Lewis, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and safety Ed Reed.
If you’re making a list of the team’s 10 biggest plays during their Super Bowl season, a case could be made that Jones was involved in half of them. He became the first player in NFL history to score both a receiving and a return touchdown in the team’s 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, a game played in New Orleans, Jones’ hometown.
With a 56-yard touchdown catch late in the second quarter and a 108-yard kickoff return score to start the third, Jones easily could have been named Super Bowl MVP.
In the divisional round in frigid Denver, Jones’ 70-yard touchdown connection with Flacco, known as the Mile-High Miracle, tied the game with 31 seconds remaining.
“After second down, Joe slid and he got up and he looked at everybody. He looked at me and Torrey and it was like, “Man, just run,” Jones recalled in an interview with The Athletic ahead of the 10-year anniversary of the Mile-High miracle.
Jones never stopped running until he had reached the end zone. The Ravens beat Peyton Manning’s Broncos in overtime.
Nine years ago today in the 2012 Divisional Round…
Three epic @JoeFlacco TD passes, including The Mile High Miracle! (Jan. 12, 2013) pic.twitter.com/pyiI5ApUF4
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) January 12, 2022
During the regular season, Jones’ 63-yard punt return score was the Ravens’ only touchdown in their 13-10 victory over the rival Steelers and his 108-yard kickoff return score was a big reason Baltimore outlasted the Dallas Cowboys 31-29 in mid-October.
In many ways, 2012 was a dream season for Jones, right through him doing the Ray Lewis dance in the end zone after the kick return touchdown and celebrating a Super Bowl victory in his hometown.
On a team that was perennial Super Bowl contenders but had trouble reaching the NFL mountaintop, Jones’ impact went beyond his long catches and spell-binding returns. He was a character in the truest sense. He spoke quickly and smiled easily. He didn’t take himself too seriously. He sang, he danced and he impersonated. He shared a laugh with anybody he came into contact with at the Ravens’ facility, from teammates to coaches to members of the cafeteria staff to reporters who covered the team.
Everybody who got to know Jones in Baltimore — and he was very active in the community, too — could tell you a story about him and it would surely be accompanied by laughter. That’s why news of his passing touched so many Sunday.
“I loved Jacoby Jones. We all did,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a statement released by the team. “His spirit, enthusiasm and love for people were powerful. He was a light.”
Harbaugh loves to tell the story about Jones’ 77-yard kickoff return score against the Minnesota Vikings in Baltimore’s 29-26 victory during the 2013 season. The game was played in a rare Baltimore snowstorm and featured 36 total points in the final two minutes and five seconds of the fourth quarter.
The Vikings had just taken a 19-15 lead with 1:27 to play and were prepared to kick off. Harbaugh and Ravens special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg were screaming at Jones, who was in the back of the end zone, to warn him about the potential for a short kick. Yet, they had no idea if Jones was listening, because his back was turned to the Ravens sideline and the field as he chatted with his mother, Emily, in the stands. Jones turned around at the last moment, sprinted forward to field the kick and raced down the near sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox. Sign up
Buy
With his carefree and colorful demeanor, Jones occasionally drove his Ravens coaches crazy. However, nobody doubted his ability and motivation. The hard-driving Rosburg gave Jones the green light to take the ball out, regardless of how deep it was in the end zone. The two formed a friendship that persisted after Jones left Baltimore.
“My favorite Jacoby personal moment was every time I saw his smiling face full of joy,” Harbaugh said.
Jones insisted on retiring as a Raven, saying at the news conference, “This organization is a family. The city of Baltimore accepted me. They took me in. It’s love.”
After his retirement, Jones had coaching stints at Baltimore’s Morgan State University and at Calvert Hall College High. However, even when he wasn’t coaching or living in the area, he’d return often. He’d stop by at Ravens practice and make frequent appearances on behalf of the team, drawing crowds of fans and admirers eager to talk about the Mile-High Miracle or the wide receiver’s short, but impactful Ravens career.
Just last month, Jones returned to the Ravens’ Under Armour Performance Center to take in a minicamp practice as part of a reunion the organization was hosting for its former players. Jones walked toward the backfield with his trademark slow gait, stopping to embrace reporters, team officials and former teammates. As was the case whenever Jones was around, he drew a crowd.
As he watched practice intently, a former Raven joked that he would have played a lot longer had the team’s workouts been this light and easy. To which Jones quickly replied, “Shit, I’d still be playing.”
Those around Jones broke out in laughter. It was vintage Jones.
He was as quick with a laugh or a joke as he was with the football in his hands in the open field. And just like his speed, his smile was irrepressible. It’s the whole package, the player and personality, that is being mourned in Baltimore and won’t be forgotten.
(Photo of Jones: Al Bello / Getty Images)
