Lions WR Marvin Jones is stepping away from football

Jones took to Instagram on Tuesday to address his situation.

After three seasons (and four years) in Cincinnati, Jones first joined the Lions in 2016. That began a five-year run in the Motor City which included his best seasons. 

The former fifth-rounder eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 2017, a year in which he led the league in yards per reception with 18 and matched his career-best in touchdowns with nine.

Jones later spent 2021 and ’22 in Jacksonville, serving as a dependable target in the former year in particular before seeing his playing time drop considerably in the latter campaign. 

Expectations for a bounce-back season were raised, however, when he re-joined the Lions this offseason on a one-year deal. That pact had a base value of $3M and included another $2M worth of incentives which, given his performance to date along with Tuesday’s news, will not be reached.

Detroit already had Amon-Ra St. Brown in place atop their WR depth chart before adding Jones in free agency. The latter joined the likes of Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and the recently-reinstated Jameson Williams as complementary options in the passing game, one which has done well without Jones playing a notable role. 

The Cal product made just five catches for 35 scoreless yards in his return to Detroit. His release will create $2.2M in a dead cap charge in 2023, along with $800K next season since his pact includes a void year.