Ravens Super Bowl Hero Jacoby Jones Dies at 40, per Report

Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.
Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Jacoby Jones, a former wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens and three other teams has died, according to a Sunday morning report from ESPN's Jamison Hensley. He was 40.

The nine-year former pro, known for his 2012 playoff heroics, worked as a wide receivers coach for Alabama State in 2023.

During the Ravens' '12 championship run, Jones caught a game-tying 70-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco in the final minute of Baltimore's divisional playoff game against the Denver Broncos. The Ravens went on to win the game in double overtime.

A little over three weeks later, Jones received the opening kickoff of the second half of Super Bowl XLVII and ran it back 108 yards for a touchdown to give Baltimore a 28-6 lead over the San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens later won 34–31.

Jones played collegiately for Lane, a Division II HBCU in Jackson, Tenn. He parlayed collegiate success with the Dragons into a third-round selection by the Houston Texans in the 2007 draft.

After five seasons with the Texans, Jones signed with Baltimore and put up a career year—running two kicks back for touchdowns and garnering All-Pro honors. He played two more years for the Ravens before splitting the 2015 season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .