J.J. Watt, Arian Foster Share Thoughts After Titans Rival's Tragic Death
![Nov 28, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Nov 28, 2010; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3594,h_2021,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_titans/01j2s07ya92h55z3378m.jpg)
The Tennessee Titans and the other 31 NFL teams are mourning the loss of former wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who died on Sunday just three days after his 40th birthday.
Jones played most of his career with the Houston Texans from 2007-11, where he played alongside some of the league's top players in running back Arian Foster and defensive end J.J. Watt in his rookie year.
Both Foster and Watt took to social media to share their thoughts on Jones' passing.
shit hurts. love you homie🙏🏾🕊️ pic.twitter.com/JE4odiQdyo
— feeno (@ArianFoster) July 14, 2024
don’t think there’s anyone i ever played with that believed in me like he did. i loved that dude like we came from the same mother. i made sure i told him every time i saw him. and he did the same. one of the purest people i’ve ever been around. damn this shit really hurts
— feeno (@ArianFoster) July 14, 2024
Jacoby was one of the most fun-loving teammates and people I’ve ever been around. Always dancing and laughing, with a permanent smile on his face.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 14, 2024
Gone far, far too soon.
R.I.P Jacoby Jones.
🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/7r2aIJrb13
Jones was a third-round pick by the Texans in 2007 after he marveled as a receiver at Lane College in Division II. While he wasn't super well-known in college, he was still able to become a high draft pick in the NFL. Jones was never considered to be a star player in the league, but his long and rewarding career is a sign of how respected he was in the locker room and why teams wanted to keep him around for as long as he was in the league.
Jones' defining moments in his NFL career came after his Texans playing days when he was with the Baltimore Ravens from 2012-14. His first year with the Ravens was very clearly his best season in the NFL.
He only caught 30 passes for 406 yards and a touchdown during the regular season, but he recorded 1,167 yards on kickoff returns, including a 108-yard return against the Dallas Cowboys in the regular season. In the playoffs that year, Jones became a Ravens legend, catching a 70-yard pass from Joe Flacco with 31 seconds left in the Divisional Round game against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Then, in Super Bowl XLVII, Jones matched his career-long return touchdown of 108 yards at the start of the second half. He also caught a touchdown from Flacco during the game, making him the first (and so far, only) player in NFL history to catch and return a touchdown in the same Super Bowl game.