Following a drug-related suspension, Matt Jones spent the better part of the last 18 months trying to get in shape and get an NFL team to take a chance on him.
The Bengals signed him this offseason, but he didn’t make the team after a nondescript training camp that was highlighted by a few catches in the Hall of Fame Game.
The former first-round pick of the Jaguars has now decided to give up on his NFL dream. Jason La Canfora of NFL Network reports Jones was invited to join Washington’s motley crew of tryout players on Tuesday, but he said no thanks and informed the team he intends to retire.
If Jones doesn’t change his mind, this will end an odd and disappointing NFL career.
The former quarterback shot up draft boards as a NFL combine hero in 2005 because of his straight-line speed and size, but his conversion to wide receiver wasn’t smooth.
Still, he improved enough to be on a 1,000-yard pace in 2008 for 12 games before his suspension. His best NFL season will turn out to be his last.