After appearing on the rosters of three NFL teams in the 2024 season, former Saraland High School star Velus Jones Jr. will have another new team in 2025.
The NFL free agent has reached a contract agreement with the New Orleans Saints, neworleans.football and ESPN reported on Saturday night.
Waived by the Chicago Bears on Oct. 26 during his third season with the team, Jones joined the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad four days later. On Dec. 10, the Carolina Panthers signed the wide receiver for their active roster.
In three games in 2024 – one for the Bears and two for the Panthers – Jones had three rushing attempts for 11 yards and two kickoff returns for 19 yards.
Since entering the NFL as a third-round pick of Chicago in the 2022 draft, Jones has 12 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown, 20 rushing attempts for 165 yards and one touchdown, 40 kickoffs for a 26.5-yard average and five punt returns for a 7.0-yard average.
The Saints had eight players return kickoffs during the 2024 season, with none having more than 11.
Jones was an All-State selection for Saraland in 2014 and 2015.
Jones spent four seasons at Southern Cal and two at Tennessee, capping his college career by sharing the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year Award for 2021 with Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams
In addition to catching 62 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in 2021 for the Volunteers, Jones returned 23 kickoffs for a 27.3-yard average and one touchdown and 18 punts for a 15.1-yard average.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at@AMarkG1.