Former Jaguars NT Abry Jones Retires

The former Jaguars leader has retired after eight years in the NFL, nearly every second of which was spent with the Jaguars.

One of the longest-tenured Jacksonville Jaguars in recent memory has decided to hang up his cleats.

Former Jaguars nose tackle Abry Jones was placed on the reserve/retired list by the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, ending an eight-year career where every snap and nearly every second was spent as a member of the Jaguars. 

The former undrafted free agent out of the University of Georgia was able to make the Jaguars' squad as a rookie and stick around through constant years of internal and external change surrounding the franchise. From head coaches to coordinators to new locker rooms to new general managers, Jones hung around year after year, in large part due to his unmatched leadership ability. 

“I see it as, I came in the league with dreams and goals and I feel like I’ve been accomplishing a lot of those and trying to be a true professional to keep continuing my job," Jones said about his Jaguars tenure last August. 

"A lot of young guys come in and I like to talk to the undrafted free agents to let them know that there’s a place for you in this league if you just keep working. I’m just excited to keep this thing going on and keep having that title about myself.”

Voted a defensive captain in 2020, Jones appeared in 105 regular-season games for the Jaguars, starting 52 in the process. Jones also appeared in three postseason games in 2017, starting two and recording seven tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass deflection.

In 105 regular-season games with the Jaguars, Jones recorded 196 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and 12 pass deflections. 

Jones departed from the Jaguars this offseason following the conclusion of his contract with the Jaguars and the change in regime. The Jaguars drafted nose tackle DaVon Hamilton in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft and traded for veteran nose tackle Malcom Brown from the Saints this March. 

Jones signed with the Titans in early June but ultimately never played a down for the franchise, ending his NFL career with every single one of his career snaps played for the Jaguars.