Adam Jones (American football) facts for kids
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Jones with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2015
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| Position: | Cornerback Return specialist |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | September 30, 1983 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Westlake (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||||||||
| College: | West Virginia (2002–2004) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Adam Bernard Jones (born September 30, 1983), also known by his nickname "Pacman", is a former American football player. He played for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was a cornerback, a defensive player who covers receivers, and a return specialist, who catches and runs with the ball after a kick.
Jones played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers. He was chosen by the Tennessee Titans as the sixth player picked in the 2005 NFL draft.
His career was affected by off-the-field problems, which led to him being suspended twice by the NFL. After playing for the Titans, he joined the Dallas Cowboys. He later played for the Cincinnati Bengals for eight seasons, where he had the most success. With the Bengals, he was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2014 and was selected for the Pro Bowl in 2015. He finished his career with the Denver Broncos in 2018 and retired in 2019.
Besides football, Jones has been involved in professional wrestling, boxing, and music. He also co-hosts a show called Runnin' It Back w/ Pac + Zach.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Jones was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He was raised by his mother, Deborah, and his grandmother, Christine. His mother gave him the nickname "Pacman" because he could change directions quickly, just like the video game character.
He went to Westlake High School in Atlanta. In his senior year, he was named the conference "Player of the Year." He was a star athlete in football, basketball, and track. His basketball team even won two state championships.
College Football Career
Jones played football at West Virginia University from 2002 to 2004. As a freshman, he played in 11 games. By his second year, he was a starting cornerback and also returned kicks and punts. He was chosen for the second-team All-Big East Conference.
In his junior year in 2004, he was a team captain and was named first-team All-Big East. He was also named the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year. He is remembered as one of the best players to come from West Virginia. After his junior year, he decided to enter the NFL draft instead of playing his senior season.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m) |
187 lb (85 kg) |
4.38 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
9 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans (2005–2007)
The Tennessee Titans selected Jones as the sixth overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. He was the first defensive player chosen that year.
In his first season, he had 44 tackles and was a key player on special teams. In his second season, he had a career-high 62 tackles, four interceptions, and led the NFL with three punt return touchdowns. His exciting plays made him one of the best returners in the league.
However, Jones faced challenges with his behavior off the field. In April 2007, the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him for the entire 2007 season for not following the league's conduct policy. This was a rare type of suspension for a player.
Dallas Cowboys (2008)
On April 23, 2008, the Titans traded Jones to the Dallas Cowboys. He signed a four-year contract with the team. He was cleared to play for the 2008 season and started well, recording eight tackles in one game.
Later that season, he was suspended again for his conduct. After returning from the suspension, he suffered a neck injury. The Cowboys released him in January 2009.
Cincinnati Bengals (2010–2017)
After a year away from football, Jones signed a two-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on May 10, 2010. He played for the Bengals for eight seasons, the longest time he spent with any team.
In 2013, he signed a new three-year contract with the Bengals. His hard work paid off. In 2014, he was named a First-Team All-Pro, an honor given to the best players at their position. In 2015, he was selected for the Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game.
In a 2015 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jones was involved in an on-field argument with a Steelers coach. This resulted in a penalty that helped the Steelers win the game. The incident led the NFL to create a new rule, sometimes called the "Joey Porter Rule," which stops assistant coaches from going onto the field.
The Bengals released Jones in March 2018.
Denver Broncos and Retirement
Jones signed with the Denver Broncos for the 2018 season. He played in seven games before the team released him.
On May 24, 2019, Adam "Pacman" Jones announced his retirement from professional football.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2005 | TEN | 15 | 13 | 53 | 44 | 9 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2006 | TEN | 15 | 15 | 63 | 51 | 12 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 130 | 32.5 | 83 | 1 | 12 |
| 2007 | TEN | 0 | 0 | Suspended | ||||||||||||
| 2008 | DAL | 9 | 6 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2010 | CIN | 5 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 59 | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 2011 | CIN | 8 | 7 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2012 | CIN | 16 | 5 | 40 | 33 | 7 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 2013 | CIN | 16 | 13 | 56 | 44 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 3 | 60 | 20.0 | 60 | 1 | 12 |
| 2014 | CIN | 16 | 3 | 63 | 51 | 12 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 12 | 0 | 11 |
| 2015 | CIN | 14 | 14 | 62 | 53 | 9 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 14 | 0 | 12 |
| 2016 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 66 | 54 | 12 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 2017 | CIN | 9 | 9 | 23 | 19 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 | DEN | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Career | 146 | 104 | 498 | 411 | 87 | 3.0 | 7 | 7 | 102 | 17 | 239 | 12.8 | 83 | 2 | 96 | |
Professional Wrestling Career
While he was suspended from the NFL in 2007, Jones signed a deal with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). The Titans did not want him to get hurt, so they made an agreement that he could not be physically involved in matches.
He formed a tag team with wrestler Ron Killings called Team Pacman. At the No Surrender event, Team Pacman won the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Jones got the winning pin, but he did not do any wrestling moves in the match.
His team later lost the championship, and Jones's contract with TNA ended. He made a brief return to the promotion, then called Impact Wrestling, in 2013 for a special appearance.
Personal Life
On July 5, 2014, Jones married Tishana Holmes. They have three children together.
After his friend and former teammate Chris Henry passed away, Jones adopted Henry's children. He promised to raise them as his own.
See also
- National Football League player conduct controversy
- Team Pacman
