Don’t forget about Zay: Jaguars’ WR Zay Jones reflects on his career, upcoming season

Zay Jones went racing from the line of scrimmage.

He zoomed down the sideline with heightened pace, slowing his route for a moment before regaining his speed. He peaked over his shoulder as a ball dropped into his grasp, but his foot came down just beyond the boundary at the back of the end zone.

“Was his timing off?” Jones asked one of the nearby offensive assistants for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He wanted to figure out why a patented route landed him about a foot farther than he intended.

More stories from our staff:

Gene Frenette: 2023 schedule convenient for Jaguars to finally get off to fast start

Escape artist: Jaguars Nathan Rourke worked some magic on one play in victory over Cowboys

'Student of the game': Jaguars' Tyson Campbell is ascending as one of NFL's best corners

Jones, who’s headed into his seventh season in the NFL, ran the same route against the Cowboys to score a touchdown in Week 15 last year.

It was one of the most memorable games of his career, logging three touchdowns and 109 receiving yards on six receptions. But that was then.

Now, Jones is focused on working to help the Jaguars go from outsiders to club membership of the league’s elite.

“The path that I had to this league and understanding how it goes, I'm unbothered by someone else's expectation because I placed so much on myself already,” Jones told the Times-Union this summer. “No one beats myself up more than me. No one wants to do the best for his team more than me.”

Early NFL life helped Jones rediscover himself

Jones rewrote the record books during his college career. Through four seasons at East Carolina, he set the FBS record for career receptions (399) and NCAA single season receptions (158) while recording 4,297 career yards.

He was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft (No. 37 overall) by the Buffalo Bills. Jones was instantly thrust into a role as one of the team’s top receivers, seeing 176 targets in his first two seasons in the league.

But it never stuck and after spending two full seasons and parts of a third with the Bills, he was traded to the Raiders — closing the chapter on a turbulent start to his career.

“You do so much work to get to the highest level and where your dreams and aspirations are, and things don't shake out at first in the beginning,” Jones said. “You’ve got to kind of relearn yourself and kind of reprogram and that at least was my journey.”

While with the Bills, Jones had a chance to work alongside current Jacksonville wide receiver coach Chad Hall. Hall recalls those early day for Jones and thinks it shaped the career path that led Jones to the Jaguars.

It taught him to overcome obstacles and rise above — two huge hurdles for young NFL players.

“It's kind of that stuff molds you into who you are, and it gives you those scars and bumps and bruises,” Hall said while recalling the time he spent with Jones in Buffalo. “Mentally, I think it helps you. It gives you confidence.

“You've been through that stuff, you know how to handle the ups and downs, right? As a rookie, it was like, ‘Hey, you're out there. You're the No. 1 receiver’ right off the bat. And that's hard.”

After spending two seasons — and parts of a third — with the Raiders, Jones signed a three-year deal with Jacksonville. He became a vital piece of Doug Pederson’s offense, recording career numbers in catches (82) and receiving yards (823), while scoring five touchdowns as Jacksonville won the AFC South in 2022.

“He got through that and that tells you the type of person he is. The type of man he is,” Hall said. “To not let him let that slow him down, just to keep fighting. Keep pushing, keep working. Be patient, wait for your time and then, he's just really had this opportunity and accelerated through it.”

Jones acknowledged the timing of his arrival in Jacksonville and his maturity in the league helped him succeed with the Jaguars. It also helps playing for a good coach and having a good quarterback throwing him the ball.

“[I’m] feeling more of a sense of freedom. [The Jaguars are] people who believed in me and [were] willing to give me an opportunity. Obviously playing with a great quarterback and great team helps,” he said. “I think more so just timing for myself and now, I'm glad I didn't have to try to rush into anything. They just kind of unfolded for me in that sense. So, I'm really grateful for that.”

Negative into positive: Jones invites Jacksonville high school wide receivers to camp

Jones, who wears No. 7, invited seven high school football players to Jaguars camp to talk with players and take in the environment of an NFL practice. It might’ve seemed like a random act, but it was something Jones and several Jaguars’ staffers worked to put together.

When camp started and videos of Calvin Ridley emerged, there were people online who tried to insult Jones by saying he was a junior varsity player compared to Ridley.

Rather than responding with negativity, Jones worked with Vice President of Community Impact and Football Development Adriel Rocha, and Public Relations Coordinator Dylan Morton, along with other members of the Jaguars’ staff to reach out to the receivers and get them out to practice.

“Our (public relations) team did a great job of getting some guys here and I just got to speak with them and talk to them. I've been in that situation of being a young high school football player,” Jones said. “I told them, it's a two-way street. For them, they may look at me as like, I'm where they want to be, right.

“And for me, they're like a precious reminder of the joy of the game and why I started playing the game and what it means to be in that kind of stage of life. I told them that and just offered some advice for the future and things.”

Jones said he was able to connect with the players via social media after they left, continuing the connection that was built.

'More difficult than we realize': Jones' mentality for upcoming season, message to Jaguars' fans

The expectations are sky high for the Jaguars this year. After the unexpectedness of reeling off eight straight wins and clawing their way from dead in the water to division champions.

After the undying resolve it took to comeback from a 27-point deficit in the playoffs and advancing to the next round.

After all of that the Jaguars aren’t looking to be underachievers, but they won’t be catching anyone by surprise this season.

“I think that the mindset that I'm trying to instill is that this is going to be difficult, probably more difficult than we realize,” Jones said about his mentality ahead of the regular season. “We have the talent. We have all the pieces, but we still have to go do it.”

Jacksonville will play a schedule that features early season matchups against the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

A schedule that features primetime meetings against Baltimore and Cincinnati. A schedule that features a trip to New Orleans on a short week and road games against Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

And that’s on top of six division games against opponents who’d love to knock Jacksonville down a few pegs.

But through all that, there’s an expectation of double digit wins, another division title and a playoff run.

“We’re really going to have to prepare each week, come ready each week and play,” Jones said. “Play like our life depends on it.”

With the expectations high going into this year, Jones has a message for the supporters and fans. Something he wants to make clear as he goes into his second season with the city that helped him grow.

“Thank you for those who support this team and what we do. The people who have been with us since the beginning and lifelong Jags fans who have been rocking with the team since 1995,” Jones said. “We've been through bad years and good years and that's truly special to see the commitment and love that people have for this organization and I'm grateful to play for this organization.

“No, it's not one the long-lasting franchises like from the very beginning, but at the same time I think the future is incredible for these fans and I'm lucky to be a part of it.”

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on the website formerly known as Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars WR Zay Jones talks past and future of NFL career