Detroit Lions: Marvin Jones finds a new home in Free Agency

Another former Lion is off the market.  This time is it fan favorite Marvin Jones landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars on a very team-friendly team. The Detroit Lions opted to replace Jones with Tyrell Williams, and I suspect Marvin is looking forward to a fresh start.

Jones signed a two-year deal worth a total of $14.5 million.  The agreement also includes $9.2 million in guaranteed money.

At that price, it’s a shame the Detroit Lions didn’t at least pursue Jones’ especially with star receiver Kenny Golladay likely pricing himself out of Detroit.

Early on, all signs pointed to Jones signing with his pal Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. With the Rams so tight against the cap and already having a plethora of offensive weapons under contract, that notion became somewhat far-fetched over the last few weeks.

The rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars entered the offseason with a surplus of money at their disposal.  That, along with owning the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which will be spent on a future franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, certainly played a significant role in persuading head coach Urban Meyer out of retirement.

There is an immediate connection between the former Detroit Lions playmaker and the Jaguars.

This past offseason, Meyer hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell to run the Jacksonville offense.  Bevell, by all accounts, had been a coach the players enjoyed being around during his time with the Lions.

Over the past two seasons playing within Bevell’s offense, Jones totaled 138 receptions on 206 targets accounting for 1,757 yards and18 touchdowns.  Jones’ catch rate of 67% in this offense is noticeably better than his career average of 61%.

Throughout his career, Jones has made 423 catches totaling 6,025 yards and 51 touchdowns.

Jones will likely be relied upon to replace the production vacated by pending free agents Keelan Cole and Dede Westbrook.  He will join the talented D.J. Chark, Laviska Shenault, and former Detroit Lions Jamal Agnew making for a talented group of playmakers.