Jones attended Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia. He was named MaxPreps.com second-team All-American as senior in 2009. He finished his senior season with 76 receptions for 1,399 yards and 18 touchdowns, which earned him all-state honors, while helping Gainesville get to the Georgia state championship game for the first time since 1982. He caught 81 passes for 979 yards as junior in 2008. Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 19th best wide receiver in the nation. After originally being committed to Stanford, he switched his commitment to Notre Dame.
College career
Jones enrolled early at Notre Dame in January 2010. As a true freshman, he worked his way onto the field, playing in 12 games, starting 7, while catching 23 passes for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Jones became a full-time starter for the Irish in 2011. He played in all 13 games, starting every game but one, and recorded 38 receptions for 366 yards and three touchdowns. In 2012, Jones had his best season yet for the Fighting Irish, accumulating 50 receptions for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns. His year was highlighted by a game winning catch against Stanford in overtime and a berth to the 2013 BCS National Championship Game in Miami, Florida. In the National Championship game, Jones recorded 6 receptions for 90 yards in a 42-14 loss versus Alabama. In his senior season, he set career highs in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He also rushed for 67 yards on nine carries, scoring two touchdowns.
Professional career
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions selected Jones in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Jones was the 24th wide receiver drafted in 2014. On August 23, 2014, Jones was placed on the PUP list with a shoulder injury. On September 3, 2016, Jones was waived by the Lions and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on December 3, 2016. In 2017, Jones played in 14 games with six starts, recording a career-high 30 catches for 399 yards and one touchdown. He suffered a shoulder injury in Week 15 and was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017. On April 9, 2018, the Lions re-signed Jones to a one-year contract.
On July 27, 2019, Jones signed with the New York Giants. He was waived on August 31, 2019 as the roster was reduced to the 53-man limit. Jones was re-signed by the Giants on September 11, 2019. He was released on October 1, 2019.
On February 14, 2020 Jones and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League agreed to a contract with an annual salary of $200,000 CDN. However, the contract has yet to be ratified by the CFL and CFLPA as the verbiage in the current collective bargaining agreement restricts rookie Canadian players to three-year contracts for at, or slightly above, the league minimum salary of $65,000 CDN per season.
