Cardinals Receiver Suspended By NFL

One of Arizona's off-season weapon acquisitions will serve a suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones (12) during organized team activities in Tempe on May 20, 2024. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA--On the heels of a couple of devastating injuries to their D-line, the Arizona Cardinals will be without one of their receivers to begin the 2024 NFL season.

WR Zay Jones, who the Cardinals signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract in the off-season, has reportedly been suspended five games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Jones had been in the midst of a misdemeanor domestic battery charge from during his time on the Jaguars last season. The Florida state attorney's office ultimately decided to drop the charge, but the NFL ran their own investigation, and landed on a five-game suspension for the veteran wideout.

The Florida state attorney's office dropped a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against Zay Jones in March, when he was on the #Jaguars. But the NFL ran its own investigation, which is standard, and returned a five-game suspension. https://t.co/OO1M8Ea8MW

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 23, 2024

According to an article from Bleacher Report, Jones had been arrested on November 13th last year, allegedly following an incident involving the mother of his child. Despite the issue being closed in the eyes of the law, the NFL's in-house response determined a suspension for the early portion of the 2024 season.

While Jones didn't figure to be a top weapon in the Cardinals' receiver room, he's a veteran who excelled in red zone production. He only put up 321 yards over nine games in 2023, but he marked 9.3 yards per reception.

He's been a consistent red zone target, and a reliable weapon in clutch down situations, always managing to average a decently high number per reception despite not exactly being much of a volume player throughout most of his career.

The Cardinals, who are already thin across the board, can ill-afford to lose another player, but they'll have to do without the veteran for the first five games of the season as he serves his five-game suspension.