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    Dolphins' Byron Jones Can't 'Run or Jump' Due to Injuries; Reportedly Won't Retire

    Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 25, 2023

    MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - AUGUST 20: Byron Jones #24 of the Miami Dolphins looks on during pregame warm-ups prior to playing the Las Vegas Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium on August 20, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
    Megan Briggs/Getty Images

    Cornerback Byron Jones, who missed the 2022 season but is signed with the Miami Dolphins through 2024, reflected on his NFL career to this point with a level of regret given his "chronic pain and disabilities."

    Jones responded to a 2015 tweet from the NFL calling him "Mr. Broad Jump" ahead of that year's draft and wrote "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."

    Byron Jones @TheByronJones

    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.

    While it was easy to speculate that the cornerback may retire given the content of the tweets, ESPN reported he is not walking away from the game.

    The Miami Herald's Barry Jackson added the "general expectation" is Jones will be cut:

    Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz

    In wake of today's tweets... Byron Jones is not retiring and there's no pending lawsuit, per source. With his 14.4 M salary non guaranteed, the general expectation is he will be cut by Dolphins with post June 1 designation. But nothing has been settled on that front.

    Dolphins' Byron Jones Can't 'Run or Jump' Due to Injuries; Reportedly Won't Retire
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    Jones' NFL career started when the Dallas Cowboys selected him out of Connecticut with a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. He played five seasons with the Cowboys and was a Pro Bowler during his fourth year in 2018.

    Miami then made him the league's highest-paid cornerback when it signed him to a five-year, $82 million deal ahead of the 2020 campaign.

    Jones played 30 games for the Dolphins during his first two seasons with the team before missing all of 2022 because of ankle and Achilles issues.