DeMeco Ryans offered a touching tribute to his former teammate Jacoby Jones, who died earlier this month at the age of 40.
Ryans, who is entering his second season as the Houston Texans‘ head coach, was Jones’ teammate for five seasons in Houston from 2007-11.
“Just extending my sincere condolences to the Jones family,” Ryans said, via NBC Houston. “Jacoby was a teammate of mine here for five years. When you talk about a guy who was fun spirited, loving, caring, great teammate, the dance machine, he was a fun guy to be around.
“He lit up any room that he walked into just with his great spirit. He’ll be truly missed,” Ryans continued. “I was very saddened to hear the news of him passing. Just truly feel sorry for the family and for all of his teammates, all the lives that he has touched. Jacoby, I remember he always did a great job of working in camps and working with kids. He always did an excellent job of doing that. He’ll be missed.”
Jones enjoyed a highly productive 10-year career in the NFL. A third-round pick, Jones caught over 200 passes and averaged 13.5 yards per catch. Jones made his true mark, however, as a returner. He earned All-Pro honors with the Ravens in 2012 after returning two kickoffs for scores while averaging an absurd 30.7 yards per kickoff return.
Jones had a game for the ages in that year’s Super Bowl. Along with catching a 56-yard touchdown pass, Jones returned a kickoff 108 yards for a score (which is also the longest play in Super Bowl history) in Baltimore’s 34-31 victory over San Francisco.
Ryans said that his last in-person memory with Jones was when Jones was honored prior to Baltimore’s win over Houston in the 2023 playoffs.
“He was honored as a Ravens legend,” Ryans said, “so that was a proud moment for me to see him there honored, another organization, and to see him doing that with his son.
“It was a very special moment. My prayers are with him and praying for God’s strength and comfort for the family.”
