Mike Jones (born November 2, 1992) is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football with the Southern Jaguars from 2012 to 2015.[1] Jones has also been a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Elks.
| No. 82 Montreal Alouettes | |
 | |
| Born: | November 2, 1992 Toronto, Ontario |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
| Weight | 181 lb (82 kg) |
| College | Southern |
| High school | James Earl Rudder |
| CFL draft | 2016, Round: 3, Pick: 18 |
| Drafted by | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2016–2019 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 2021–2022 | Edmonton Elks |
| 2022–present | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| Receptions | 141 |
| Rec yards | 1,996 |
| Rec average | 14.2 |
| Rec touchdowns | 6 |
| |
College career edit
Jones played for four years in the Southern Jaguars football program, which included two SWAC West Division Titles. After minimal use his first season, Jones became a contributor in the offense and special teams. In 39 games played, Jones caught 49 passes for 919 yards and 6 touchdowns. As a returner, Jones had 16 kickoff returns for 237 yards, and his lone punt return went for 32 yards.[2] His career highs in yards, touchdowns, and average yards per catch came during the 2013 season, which culminated in the Jaguars winning the 2013 SWAC Championship Game in double overtime. While attending Southern, Jones studied mass communications.
Professional career edit
Hamilton Tiger-Cats edit
Due to his Canadian citizenship, Jones was eligible to be drafted by Canadian Football League teams. He was drafted in the third round, 18th overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 2016 CFL Draft and he signed with the team on May 27, 2016.[3] Jones was eased into the league during his rookie season by contributing as a special teamer, returning 6 kickoffs for 98 yards and one punt for 55 yards, as well as catching 2 passes on offense as a depth receiver. During the 2017 season, Jones' use on offense increased, although he was suspended for two games. In his first game back, Jones caught his first professional touchdown pass courtesy of a Jeremiah Masoli pass, and a June Jones challenge to overturn the call from incomplete to complete.[4] The play occurred with Jones' 19-month-old son in attendance.
The 2018 season would be a breakout year for Jones, who developed a chemistry with now full-time starter and the Eastern Division's Most Outstanding Player candidate Masoli. Jones turned 49 catches into 841 yards and three scores, in addition to playing in his first playoff games, catching another touchdown. Jones' contributions were especially important to the Tiger-Cat's postseason goals given the season ending injuries to receivers Brandon Banks, Jalen Saunders, Chris Williams, and Terrence Toliver, as well as first overall draft pick Mark Chapman not reporting to the team. With a head coaching change and the emergence of Most Outstanding Rookie nominee Jaelon Acklin combined with the season ending injury to Masoli in 2019, Jones saw less use, but still provided quality depth for the Division Champion Tiger-cats who set the franchise record for wins in a season.[5] During the 107th Grey Cup, Jones was unable to catch a deep pass, suffering an injury which turned out to be a torn labrum; despite the injury, Jones finished the game, a Ti-Cats loss. The defender in coverage was ironically also named Mike Jones, who had also caused the injury to Brandon Banks earlier in the game.[6]
Edmonton Elks edit
Jones became a free agent in February 2020, and signed with the Edmonton Football Team on January 4, 2021.[7] In his first year with the club he caught 29 passes for 394 yards with two touchdowns. In his second year in Edmonton in seven games Jones only caught 8 of 21 pass attempts for 100 yards. Jones and 10 other players were released by the Elks on July 29, 2022; midway through the 2022 season.[8]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II) edit
Only a few days after being released by the Elks Jones signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on August 2, 2022.[9] In his first game back with the team on August 6, 2022, he recorded three catches for 30 yards before being placed on the team's practice roster shortly after.[10] He was later released on September 7, 2022.[10]
Montreal Alouettes edit
On September 21, 2022, Jones signed a practice roster agreement with the Montreal Alouettes.[10]
Career statistics edit
| Receiving | Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | Rec. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | Games | Rec. | Yards | Avg | Long | TD | ||
| 2016 | HAM | 8 | 2 | 27 | 13.5 | 21 | 0 | Inactive | |||||||
| 2017 | HAM | 14 | 28 | 285 | 10.2 | 49 | 1 | Team did not qualify | |||||||
| 2018 | HAM | 18 | 49 | 841 | 17.2 | 84 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 71 | 11.8 | 37 | 1 | ||
| 2019 | HAM | 18 | 22 | 319 | 14.5 | 59 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2021 | EDM | 11 | 29 | 394 | 13.6 | 52 | 2 | Team did not qualify | |||||||
| 2022 | EDM | 7 | 21 | 100 | 12.5 | 19 | 0 | ||||||||
| HAM | 1 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| CFL totals | 77 | 141 | 1,996 | 14.2 | 84 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 81 | 11.6 | 37 | 1 | |||
References edit
- ^ Southern bio
- ^ "Sports".
- ^ Tiger-Cats sign entire 2016 draft class
- ^ https://www.therecord.com/sports-story/7680165-yes-daddy-got-his-first-touchdown/ [dead link]
- ^ "Hamilton Tiger-Cats add to record win total after topping Montreal Alouettes - Hamilton | Globalnews.ca".
- ^ "5 game-changing moments from 107th Grey Cup between the Bombers and Ticats | CBC Sports".
- ^ "EE Football Team signs Jonathan Rose and Mike Jones". Esks.com. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- ^ "Veteran Canadian receiver Jones among 11 players released by Elks - TSN.ca". TSN. The Canadian Press. 2022-07-29. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
- ^ TSN ca Staff (2022-08-02). "Tiger-Cats bring back WR Jones - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ a b c "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved September 25, 2022.