I don't think I kicked dirt up on Byron last year, although I know I commented on how much we missed him. McDaniel continually deferred updates on his return, but I'm guessing he didn't have Jones' approval to go into detail about his recovery. Looks like CB1/CB2 may be at the top of offseason priority list.
I didn't blame him until Sam Madison made it sound like he could have played towards the end of the year. If what Jones is saying is true Madison has some explaining to do.
Just as we don’t know what he’s been going through since the surgery, we also don’t know what was communicated from Jones to the team. Most of the time, it seemed like they were as much in the dark as we were.
Jones isn't retiring, but he's probably finished as a Dolphin. Whether he then takes 2023 off and tries to come back somewhere else is left to be seen. But he's not just going to walk away from the 13m that he'd be paid if the Dolphins don't cut him.
Dolphins' Byron Jones says he 'can't run or jump' due to injuries 2:15 PM Miami Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones said in a social media post Saturday he "can't run or jump" because of injuries he suffered over the course of his career. Jones, who missed all of last season because of surgery on his Achilles tendon, said it was "an honor and privilege to play in the NFL" but that it came at a "regrettable cost." Jones, 30, underwent surgery in March to clean up a lingering injury he dealt with during the 2021 season. A source told ESPN at the time that Jones was expected to be ready for training camp in July, but he was never activated off the PUP list. A former first-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015, Jones signed a five-year, $82 million deal in 2020. He represents an $18.3 million cap hit in 2023, but the Dolphins can save $13.6 million by releasing or trading him after June 1. Jones made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and has 57 pass deflections and four interceptions in his eight-year career. ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques contributed to this story. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35733260/dolphins-byron-jones-says-run-jump-due-injuries
From his post it is 90% likely that he is retiring. It's very difficult to play as a DB if you cant run or jump. Moreover his wording pretty much implies he is retiring. Sucks, for him and us. What bugs me is why the hiding all this info during the season? It just built animosity towards a guy that had some serious issues going on? I understand HIPA and all that but a little more info would have saved a lot of angst.
The Fins have been bizarrely secretive about injuries for several years now. At first I thought that it must be Flores bringing the Patriot Way with him, but its continued under McDaniel, so now I guess its probably Grier. Guys who they absolutely know aren't coming back the same year are just left as question marks to the public, which is just so stupid and unproductive. This was the third year in a row we had someone miss at least half the year and it was handled that way. As far as Jones goes, its partly semantics, but my point was that he's not going to retire until the Dolphins release him, which they almost certainly will. Even if he lost a leg, until the team let him go he could just come to camp and be put on IR and get paid. Retiring before that would be foolish. So its up to the team to make the first move, then he'll do what he will.
I think people forget the mental side to all of this- I'm sure Jones wanted to play but got frustrated that he wasn't getting to where he needed to. Sometimes it's physical, sometimes it's mental. That would explain why Miami danced around it and didn't give timetables. Whatever he decides, I hope he gets help to work past this.
I'm trying to recall if/when we put him on IR last season. If it was late in the year, it'd indicate we actually thought he was going to return eventually. I remember him being on PUP to start, but don't recall pulling the plug on his return. I could understand the reluctance to give more information if it was a matter of stalled rehabilitation and not a setback event. Fans are cynical and we don't always appreciate the human side of this brutal sport. This young dude went from living the dream to potentially living with pain and immobility for the rest of his life.
Sounds like there may have been some kind of poor result from surgery. It takes roughly 18 months to get back from an Achilles tear, and even then it”s never 100%, but after 6 months (September/October 2022) you should be able to be fit enough to start playing.
Well? I mean , good luck to him. He made a boatload of cash and can probably catch on doing something else.
Anybody else see the latest on Byron Jones warning other players not to take injections from team doctors?
Yes, seems like he was playing through pain and injury in 2021 and getting injections for it, which ended up making the injury worse long term.
Ok, I know life is not a movie, I get that but I would find it hard to believe that no professional football player has never seen… North Dallas Forty Any Given Sunday Varsity Blues What’s a common denominator in these great football films? Players getting injections to help them play and the catastrophic results that followed. If Byron Jones was receiving injections so he could play through pain last season, he had to have known of the potential risks…and if he says he didn’t, he’s lying.
Jones also comes off as an extremely intelligent, well thought player as well. Not a naive kid who just does whatever he's told.
Well, art immitates life. This is a very common thing in the NFL. There are millions of dollars involved and players are pressured to put their bodies on the line and play through pain and injury. There are numerous documented cases of players getting nerve blocks and injections to play through injury.
Personally, I'd be shocked to learn that the NFLPA doesn't warn players about taking shots. The league is a human grist mill and it destroys these guys' bodies and kicks them to the side when they no longer perform (while withholding remaining contracted loot, BTW). I'd bet the mortgage that one of the first things players learn from the union at the rookie symposium is to avoid playing while hurt. But players have a hard time taking the message, I guess. I've heard of guys who sustained concussions and either stayed on the field or rushed their way back through protocol to return sooner. Crazy, right?
This is why I side with players in every dispute: Sources: Dolphins to release Byron Jones in cost-cutting move 3:00 PM ET Marcel Louis-Jacques ESPN MIAMI -- The Dolphins plan to release cornerback Byron Jones on March 15, allowing him to enter free agency, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday. Jones will be designated a post-June 1 cut, which will save the team $13.6 million in 2023. He will represent an approximate $10 million cap hit in 2024, however. Jones' release is a critical move toward creating salary cap space for a team currently $17.7 million over the limit, according to Over the Cap. The move comes just three years into a five-year, $82.5 million contract that Jones signed with Miami in 2020. He missed the entire 2022 season after undergoing Achilles surgery last March. Last month, Jones tweeted that he "can't run or jump" because of the injuries he had sustained during his career. "Much has changed in 8 years," he wrote on Twitter. "Today I can't run or jump because of my injuries sustained playing this game. DO NOT take the pills they give you. DO NOT take the injections they give you. If you absolutely must, consult an outside doctor to learn the long-term implications. "It was an honor and privilege to play in the NFL but it came at a regrettable cost I did not foresee. In my opinion, no amount of professional success or financial gain is worth avoidable chronic pain and disabilities. Godspeed to the draft class of 2023." A source told ESPN at the time that Jones had no plans to retire despite the tone of his tweets. Speaking to local media at the NFL scouting combine last week, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier was noncommittal on Jones' return to the team next season. Undrafted rookie Kader Kohou and 2022 free agent signee Keion Crossen split snaps at cornerback in Jones' stead. Former All-Pro Xavien Howard, Trill Williams and Noah Igbinoghene are also under contract next season for the Dolphins. Jones spent the first five seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys and has four career interceptions. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35805767/sources-dolphins-release-byron-jones-cost-cutting-move
I imagine because as soon as players lose their value they are kicked to the curb. So they should get their money as soon as they can no matter what it takes.
Exactly. Teams maintain the leverage to cut, trade, or restructure player contracts. "Loyalty" is only brought up in reference to players honoring their deals, never toward teams. Players need to look out for themselves. Even though I thought X was pushing it by holding out before 2021 season, I supported him because the team thought it was going to be able to replace him when it drafted Noah. Had Noah panned out, X's contract would have been ripped up. I support players in disputes on principle, even the ones who are dumb enough to play themselves into bad situations (think: Le'Veon Bell or more recently, Lamar Jackson) because their availability is their only leverage in what I perceive to be a system tilted unfairly toward the teams. My prayers are up for Byron and I hope he recovers, regardless of whether he plays again.
Completely agree. A contract should be a guaranteed contract, not something that gets restructured 10+ times over a few years. The prices have grown out of control and most of these top-dollar contracts will never play out. I don't understand why they write them in the first place.
Interesting points of view. I tend to look at it from the other side of the coin. At work now. Will expand later.
