Jacoby Jones, a former Texans wide receiver and third-round draft pick from Lane College who emerged as a record-setting Super Bowl standout as a kickoff returner for the Baltimore Ravens, died overnight in his sleep at his suburban Houston home.
No cause of death was immediately announced. Jones was 40 years old.
“He was the best, he loved everyone,” Sam Gordon, owner of the Beaumont Renegades, said in a telephone interview. “I think one of the most important things is he was a man of God. He was proud of how much he loved and feared his God. What was most important to him after football was helping the next person in line. He was the most humble and kind person to anybody who gave him the time and needed the time from him.”
Jones was known for his speed and playmaking skills as a player, and for his friendly personality off the field. He was living in Missouri City.
“Jacoby was one of the most fun-loving teammates and people I’ve ever been around,” former Texans teammate J.J. Watt wrote on social media. “Always dancing and laughing, with a permanent smile on his face. Gone far, far too soon. R.I.P Jacoby Jones.”
A New Orleans native, Jones helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 2013 and was named first-team All-Pro that season. He returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers for the longest play in Super Bowl history. He also became the first player to catch a touchdown and score on a return in the same Super Bowl.
Jones finished his career with 203 receptions for 2,733 yards and 14 touchdowns with 7,628 return yards and nine scores on special teams.
Jones played for the Texans from 2007 to 2011 and joined the Ravens as a free agent after being released by the Texans in 2012, playing in Baltimore for three seasons. He later played for the Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers before retiring from the game on Sept. 29, 2017, signing a one-day contract with the Ravens to retire as a member of the AFC North franchise.
Jones was hired this year by the Beaumont Renegades, an indoor football team, as their head coach and offensive coordinator.
Jones began coaching in 2018 as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Lane College. He coached receivers at Calvert Hall High School in Baltimore and tight ends at Morgan State before being hired in 2022 as the receivers coach at Alabama State.
Jones once competed on the Dancing with the Stars television program, partnering with Karina Smirnoff and reaching the finals before finishing in third place.
Jones was named to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame this year and is also in Lane College’s Hall of Fame and his high school Hall of Fame at Marion Abramson in New Orleans.
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.
Photo: Andy Lyons / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images