Jones grew up in Enterprise, Alabama and attended Enterprise High School, where he played basketball and football.[1] He was named all-state as a senior after recording 27 tackles with five interceptions and 16 passes broken up on defense and returning three punts and one kickoff for touchdowns.[2]
College career
Troy
2017 season
Jones began his college football career at Troy in 2017. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference as a return specialist after returning 30 kickoffs for 879 yards and three touchdowns and 14 for 121 yards while also intercepting two passes on defense, one of which was returned for a touchdown.[3]
2018 season
As a sophomore in 2018, he was named first-team All-Sun Belt as a return specialist after returning 23 kickoffs for 584 yards and one touchdown and to the second-team as a cornerback after breaking up eight passes with one interception.[4]
Houston
2019 season
After his sophomore season, Jones entered the NCAA transfer portal and later announced that he would be transferring to the University of Houston in 2019.[5][6] He sat out one season and redshirt due to NCAA transfer rules, maintaining his junior status for the 2020 season.
2020 season
Jones had 24 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, and one interception on defense during his redshirt junior season in 2020.[7] Jones was also named first-team All-American Athletic Conference as a return specialist after leading the nation with 337 yards on 17 punt returns with one returned for a touchdown.[8]
In Week 11 against the New York Jets, with five seconds left in the game, Jones made a game-winning 84-yard punt return touchdown in the 10–3 win.[16] It was the first punt return touchdown in the NFL for the 2022 season.[17][18] In the Patriots' Week 13 game against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football, Jones scored his first career offensive touchdown on a 48-yard catch-and-run reception, on the first offensive snap of his career. It was the first receiving touchdown from scrimmage by a defensive back since the Jets' Marcus Coleman in 2000, also against the Bills.[19] In the Patriots' Christmas Eve game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Jones scored on a 69-yard pick-six, making him the first player in 45 seasons to score a touchdown on offense, defense, and special teams in the same season.[20] Officially, Jones was the first player since Bill Dudley and Tom Harmon (both in 1947) to accomplish the feat.[21]
Jones finished his rookie season with 39 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions on defense. On offense, he had four receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown. He led the NFL with 362 punt return yards and 12.5 yards per punt return with one punt returned for a touchdown while finishing fifth in the league with 645 kick return yards. Jones was named first-team All-Pro as a punt returner by the Associated Press,[22] and he was additionally selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[23]
Jones returned in 2024 as the starting slot corner and primary punt returner. He played in 14 games with nine starts, recording 58 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and one interception.[25]
In Week 4 of the 2025 season against the Carolina Panthers, Jones had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown. Jones broke the franchise single-game record for punt return yards with 167 yards on three returns, set by Mike Haynes' 156 yards in a 1976 game,[26] and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.[27]
In Week 7, Jones intercepted Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward in the Patriots' 31-13 win. On October 28, Jones agreed to a three-year, $36 million extension with the Patriots, which will keep him with the team through the 2028 season.[28][29]
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