Markus Jones (born January 10, 1996) is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He previously played in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens. Jones played college football for the Angelo State University Rams.

Markus Jones
Personal information
Born: (1996-01-10) January 10, 1996 (age 28)
Hanau, Germany
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:249 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College:Angelo State
Position:Linebacker
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Early life

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Jones played football for the Crowley High School Eagles with 90 tackles and 7 sacks during his senior season.[1] He also played basketball[2] and competed in track and field, recording a 6'8'' high jump in 2014.[3]

College career

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Jones signed with the Division II Lone Star Conference Angelo State Rams of San Angelo, Texas in 2014 as a defensive end, earning numerous accolades over the course of his collegiate career.[1] As a senior, Jones recorded 84 tackles including 36.5 tackles for loss, the highest number recorded across all divisions of NCAA football.[4] Jones also made 17.5 sacks in 2018, breaking the Angelo State sack record with a total of 37 career sacks, in addition to two blocked kicks and four forced fumbles.[4]

In January 2019, Jones competed in the annual East-West Shrine Game after being named the 2018 winner of the Gene Upshaw Award as the best offensive or defensive lineman in Division II football.[5] During practices, Jones received significant attention after pushing offensive tackle Paul Adams to the ground during one-on-one drills.[6]

Professional career

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After the 2019 NFL draft, Jones signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.[7] Following an injury to Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III, Jones was waived[8] and subsequently claimed off waivers by the Packers.[9][10] Jones made a strong preseason showing, including two back-to-back turnover plays versus the Kansas City Chiefs.[11] Jones did not make the Packers roster at the end of the preseason.[12][10]

In October 2019, Jones was selected in round 8 of 30 during open portion of the 2020 XFL Draft by the St. Louis BattleHawks.[13]

Following the XFL draft, Jones spent a December 2019 mini-camp with the BattleHawks before being traded by St. Louis to the Dallas Renegades at the end of mini-camp.[14] Following the XFL's January 2020 league-wide training camp in Houston, Jones was waived by the Renegades and assigned to the XFL's Team 9 practice squad, also in Dallas, Texas where he trained until the XFL suspended operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.[15][16] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[17]

Jones signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL on December 17, 2020.[18] He was released on July 20, 2021.[19]

Personal life

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Jones graduated from Angelo State University in December 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and minors in Biology and Psychology.[20] He is married to a fellow Angelo State graduate.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Markus Jones - Football". Angelo State University Athletics. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "Markus Jones' High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Markus Jones". Athletic.net. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Markus Jones Named LSC Male Athlete of the Year". Angelo State University Athletics. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  5. ^ "DII football: Angelo State's Markus Jones wins 2018 Gene Upshaw Award | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  6. ^ PewterReport (January 14, 2019). "Angelo State DE Markus Jones flattens Missouri OT Paul Adams at @Shrine_Gamepic.twitter.com/2diI24YIH7". @pewterreport (in Danish). Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  7. ^ Bryce, Charles. "Angelo State great Markus Jones signs with NFL team". San Angelo. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  8. ^ "Markus Jones: Waived by Ravens". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "Packers claim rookie LB Markus Jones off waivers from Ravens". Packers Wire. July 31, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "2019 Green Bay Packers season", Wikipedia, October 16, 2019, retrieved October 16, 2019
  11. ^ "Packers: Top five performers vs. Chiefs in preseason". Lombardi Ave. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  12. ^ "Full list of Packers roster cuts from 90 to 53 players". Packers Wire. August 31, 2019. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  13. ^ Oct 16, FOX Sports Midwest; ET, 2019 at 6:05p (October 16, 2019). "XFL draft, Day 2: Battlehawks fill out roster with DBs, some of everything". FOX Sports. Retrieved October 16, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ Perry, Mark. "First XFL Trade Between St Louis Battlehawks And Dallas Renegades". Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "XFL unveils 'Team 9'". www.xfl.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  16. ^ "XFL files for bankruptcy after suspending league". ESPN.com. April 13, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  17. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  18. ^ "Riders Add Two On Defence". Riderville.com. December 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  19. ^ "Riders Transactions – July 20". Riderville.com. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  20. ^ "2018 Fall Anticipated Graduates". www.angelo.edu. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  21. ^ Harris, Paul. "Former Angelo State standout Markus Jones drafted by XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks". San Angelo. Retrieved October 17, 2019.