Allen Park — So much has changed since Marvin Jones last suited up for the Detroit Lions three years ago. The team has a new general manager and head coach, and a new position coach was also part of the franchise’s overhaul. The offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, he was actually here in 2020, but was coaching tight ends.
The only holdovers from that receiver group are Quintez Cephus and Tom Kennedy, who were both rookies when Jones caught 76 passes and nine touchdowns in his fifth, and what many assumed final season with the Lions.
We now know it wasn’t Jones’ final season here. After a two-year sojourn in Jacksonville, he’s ready to run it back in Detroit, with the new cast and a new jersey number. With Kalif Raymond donning the No. 11, Jones put it up to a family vote and it was decided he’d be the first player to take advantage of the recently approved rule that allows players to wear No. 0.
Family is everything to Jones. The oldest of his five children, Marvin III, joined him for a Wednesday afternoon media session. And more than the superficial uniform number decision, he made sure to get his family’s input on whether a return to Detroit was the right move not just for him, but for them. The alternative for the California native was to play for a interested team on the west coast, closer to home.
“I talked to my family and I was like, ‘OK, if I’m not going to play on the west coast, the only team that I will go play for that’s not on the west coast is Detroit,’ Jones said. “After that, it really sunk it. I’m like, ‘Man, I think this could be a thing.’ Talking to my family and kids and stuff like that. I was like, ‘What would you think if Daddy went back to Detroit?’ Just stuff like that. I don’t know. I kind of always had a feeling, just because I think this team is better equipped than any other teams I was considering. And it’s home, it’s home for me.”
Another aspect of what made Jones’ decision easier was getting an up-close look at the Lions last season, when he came to town with the Jaguars. He was overwhelmed by the response he received, both from the fans and team employees, who made him still feel like family. Then he saw the product on the field. That Lions team mauled the Jaguars, 40-14. It was the only loss the franchise experienced the final six weeks of the season, prior to earning the AFC South crown with a victory over Tennessee in the season finale.
“It was a kick in our butt and changed our season after that game,” Jones said about the loss to the Lions. “On the film you see it. You see a good team, a well-coached team. …There’s a lot of talent. That’s all I can say. There is a lot of talent. It’ll be exciting just to come and add to that value.”
Jones, 33, returns to Detroit in the twilight of his career. But despite a dip in production last year, he insists he’s the same guy who racked up nearly 300 catches for more than 4,000 yards and 36 scores in five seasons with the Lions. If nothing else, he’s ready to compete and help set a cultural bar for a young room headed by Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
“Everybody knows how I work,” Jones said. “I think that’s one thing that people can take away from me, is like, ‘Hey, yeesh, this guy is how old or he’s been in the league for this long?’ And I’m still taking off. I’m still doing the same things that I need to do for me to be great. I think my whole career has rubbed off on a lot of receivers or players.
“I think that’s what I’m going to do,” Jones said. “I’m going to go out there and I’m going to compete. I’m still going to move like I always do. Y’all (will) see.”
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers
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