Marcus Jones has only spent two seasons in the NFL, and missed most of last year due to injury, but the future nonetheless looks bright for the 25-year-old.
A third-round draft selection by the New England Patriots in 2022, Jones quickly burst onto the scene as arguably the most versatile player in the entire league. A legitimate three-phase weapon, he scored touchdowns on offense, defense and in the kicking game en route to being named a first-team All-Pro punt returner as a rookie.
Jones’ unique skillset has helped him make the successful transition to the pro level. For him, however, establishing oneself as an NFL player has to do with more than just being a gifted, well-rounded athlete.
“It’s a lot of focus. You got to end up with the right crowd as well,” he said during a recent interview with iheart Radio’s DJ Pup Dawg. “The big thing that I always talk about is not being complacent. Whatever you’re doing, don’t be complacent. They’re always trying to draft someone who is bigger, faster and stronger than you and could take your job. Everyone is replaceable in this industry, in this game.
“But the thing is making sure not being complacent, going in day-in and day-out. I’ll be working up at 6 o’clock in the morning, working out. I don’t even have anything to do, just making sure that I end up doing that. Then later on during the day I can messing around with some music and stuff. But just making sure I show up in tip-top shape.”
Jones entered the NFL with some medical questions after undergoing surgery on both his shoulders toward the tail-end of his college career. However, he answered those emphatically in his first season in the league.
Year 2, for comparison, was a challenge. Jones hurt his shoulder in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins and was subsequently unable to play for the remainder of the season. Ten months removed from the injury, he keeps trending in a positive direction and claimed he was back at 100 percent during offseason workouts.
Besides physical readiness, Jones also mentioned the importance of mental preparation.
“Some people are thinking, ‘Man, I got this in the bag’ and everything. But in the league, everybody is good. It’s not about who is the most athletic anymore. It’s all about what you know before the play,” he said. “A lot of people think that it’s during the play, but it’s 80 percent mental before the play. A lot of people don’t know what motions are coming, what play ends up going, and that comes down to being a student of the game. …
“Having that school mindset of studying and everything, it comes down to the same thing with football. You watch film; you watch formations; you know plays. When you end up doing that in school, it’s way easier to end up doing that with ball because you are a student of the game.”
Through two seasons in New England, Jones has not always been able to showcase his skills: he appeared in only 17 of 34 possible games. That said, whenever he was on the field he seems to have followed his own goals of staying motivated and mentally ahead of his opponents.
Now, it’s all about finding consistency — and making availability a key component of his game.