The Jacksonville Jaguars put together a well-rounded roster during the offseason, but that hasn't stopped them from looking for external options in case they need to fortify a position group. Just recently, they brougth in a familiar face for a visit.
Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported that the Jags hosted a familiar face in wide receiver Zay Jones with training camp underway. One of Trent Baalke's free-agent acquisitions in 2022, Jones spent two seasons in Duval before being released in 2024. He played for the Arizona Cardinals the past two years and has remained unsigned since he became a free agent in March.
Now, just because the Jaguars hosted Jones doesn't mean a signing is imminent. That said, the timing of the visit is a bit curious, and it's fair to wonder why they're doing due diligence now.
Zay Jones had a banner season with the Jaguars in 2022
A second-round pick in 2016, Zay Jones began his NFL career with the Buffalo Bills before being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2019. He signed a three-year contract worth $24 million with Jacksonville in 2022. At the time of the signing, Trent Balke caught lots of heat for overpaying for a receiver who had just had more than 600 yards in a season just once in his career before landing with the Jags.
However, the former East Carolina Pirate went on to have an immediate impact in his first season in Duval, registering a personal-best 82-receptions for 823 yards with five touchdowns. However, injuries limited him to just nine games with seven starts in 2023.
After his injury-marred season, the Jags released Jones in a move to save $4.9 million. He eventually latched on with the Cardinals, but injuries once again held him back. In fact, the Dallas, Texas native played just 19 of 32 possible games and caught 20 passes for 267 yards during his tenure in the desert.
Before the Jags hosted him, Jones hadn't had any workouts or visits with other teams the past few months.
Why would the Jaguars host Zay Jones for a visit?
It's possible that the Jaguars are just doing their homework, but they aren't currently in need of help at wide receiver, so the Zay Jones visit most definitely raised eyebrows.
Perhaps the team's brass wants to be ready in case the injury bug strikes. If that's the case, bringing in Jones would make sense because of his previous rapport with Trevor Lawrence. If Jacksonville does sign him, though, it will need to release someone to make room for him. A less likely possibility is that the Jaguars may want to have insurance in case Parker Washington holds out in an effort to get a new deal.
Either way, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who thought the new Jaguars regime would bring in Zay Jones for a visit as training camp takes place.
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