Chris Payton-Jones Dies at Age 30, UFL Honors Former NFL Player on Social Media

Former NFL and UFL cornerback Chris Payton-Jones has died at the age of 30.

The UFL issued a statement honoring Payton-Jones, who played two seasons in the league.

Adam Geis, who coached Payton-Jones at Sandalwood High School, spoke about his experience with him as a player and person to Justin Barney of News4Jax:

"He was one of my all-time favorites! The kid never missed a workout, never missed practice, and never wanted to come off the field. Everyone loved him. He was always unbelievably positive. I've never heard that kid ever say anything negative about anyone or anything. … It was always a pleasure to be around him. You were always happy to see him."

Some of his former NFL teammates, including Quandre Diggs and Amik Robertson, also shared messages remembering Payton-Jones (h/t Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit).

"RIP to a tremendous teammate and friend! Sad day," wrote Kerryon Johnson.

Payton-Jones played college football at Nebraska, appearing in 45 games from 2014 to 2017. He was named to the All-Big Ten academic team in 2015.

After his college career ended, he signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He appeared in 29 NFL games over four seasons with four different teams, including the Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans and Minnesota Vikings.

Following the end of his NFL tenure, Payton-Jones joined the revamped XFL in 2023 as a member of the Seattle Sea Dragons. He was drafted by the St. Louis Battlehawks in the 2024 UFL dispersal draft after the XFL and USFL merged.

Payton-Jones spent two seasons with St. Louis before retiring from professional football on Jan. 2.