Former NFL wide receiver and return man Jacoby Jones, who turned 40 on Thursday, died on Sunday, according to a report from the Baltimore Sun.
Jones is most famous for his heroics during the Baltimore Ravens‘ 2012 Super Bowl run, which included a 108-yard kickoff return touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, marking the longest return in Super Bowl history as well as the longest in NFL postseason history. Jones also hauled in a 56-yard touchdown pass from Super Bowl MVP quarterback Joe Flacco to put the Ravens up 21-3 in a game they would hold on to win 34-31. His 290 total yards gained that day are the most in a single Super Bowl ever.
Jones also came up clutch in the AFC divisional round that year against the Denver Broncos, breaking free down the right sideline for a 70-yard receiving touchdown to tie the game at 35 with 31 seconds left, rightfully called the “Mile High Miracle.” The Ravens went on to win 38-35 in double overtime. He is the Ravens’ all-time leader in kickoff return average (30.1 yards) as well as for a single season back in 2012 when he averaged 30.7 yards per return. Jones also holds the Houston Texans‘ career punt return average record (10.2).
Jones, a third-round pick of the Texans in the 2007 NFL Draft, played the first five seasons of his nine-year career in Houston (2007-2012). He became a First-Team All-Pro returner and Pro Bowler in 2012, his first season in Baltimore. After three seasons with the Ravens (2012-2014), he bounced between the Chargers and Steelers in 2015 before retiring as a Raven in 2016.
Former Ravens wide receiver and teammate Torrey Smith posted about how much he will miss Jones:
CBS Sports NFL analyst JJ Watt, a teammate of Jones’ during his rookie year in 2011 with the Houston Texans, praised Jones for the joy he brought to the locker room.
Four-time Pro Bowl running back Arian Foster, a teammate of Jones with the Texans from 2009-2011, also posted after hearing the terrible news.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson also reacted to the heartbreaking news:
CBS Sports will continue to update this developing story.
