Jaguars release WR Zay Jones
The Jaguars have released veteran wide receiver Zay Jones following two seasons with the team, Jacksonville announced on Tuesday.
Jones, 29, signed a three-year contract with the Jaguars before the 2022 season, worth $24 million including $14 million fully guaranteed.
Following six previous pro seasons — three with Buffalo, which selected him in the second round of the 2017 NFL draft, and three with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders — Jones reached new career heights in his first campaign with Jacksonville in 2022.
Operating as the Jaguars’ No. 2-targeted pass-catcher that year, starting alongside fellow 2022 free agent signee Christian Kirk, Jones set single-season career-highs with 82 receptions for 823 yards, hauling in five touchdowns. He added 13 grabs for 157 yards and a score in the postseason.
But Jones took a step back during his second season in black and teal, limited to nine appearances, seven starts, and 34 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
He dealt with a lingering posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury that caused cartilage damage to the femur on his right leg, according to Juston Lewis of the Florida Times-Union. But Jones returned to action by Week 10 and caught 20 passes for 196 yards in five games, before suffering another injury, a hamstring hurt in Week 15. He missed the next two contests.
Off the field, Jones was arrested in Jacksonville during the season, charged with misdemeanor domestic battery on November 13. He was released from jail on a $2,503 bond the next day, and the state attorney’s office in March declined to pursue the count further.
In his NFL career, Jones has totaled 287 receptions for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns. He accumulated 399 catches for 4,279 yards and 23 touchdowns over four seasons with East Carolina in college and maintains the Pirates’ records for single-game (22), single-season (158) and career receptions.
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
