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Velus Jones Jr. doesn’t want to leave the Windy City anytime soon.
The Chicago Bears wide receiver, special teams standout and part-time running back was at the center of a storyline featured on the September 3 episode of “Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Chicago Bears” in which general manager Ryan Poles revealed Chicago had received trade offers for Jones.
The third-year WR/RB has heard the trade talk, and he says he’s fine staying in Chicago, thank you very much.
“I’m still happy I’m a Chicago Bear,” Jones said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I don’t want to lose this place. This place is special. Ryan and the staff, they believe in me, so I’m pretty excited (about) this year.”
Velus Jones’ Response to Trade Rumors Is Telling
Jones’ desire to remain in Chicago shows how much he values the team and staff that selected him in the third round of the 2022 draft. Poles’ refusal to part ways with Jones for less than a future fourth-round pick is also telling.
“I’m just trying to draw the line,” Poles told head coach Matt Eberflus in the episode, referring to Jones’ trade value. “I would never go below a fourth,” the Bears GM added, before alluding to a potential offer the team had received for Jones:
“The value — does it make sense on paper? That’s unbelievable value. Does it make sense for the Bears right now?” We may never know which team(s) were interested in Jones, or what their trade offers were.
As a rookie in 2022, Jones had 16 touches on offense. He scored two touchdowns while averaging 13.1 yards per touch. His numbers fell off quite a bit in 2023. He had just 12 touches, averaging 5.9 yards per play. He didn’t score at all in 2023. Lack of production and a propensity to fumble (he fumbled three times as a rookie) put Jones on the hot seat entering training camp.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus: Velus Earned His Spot on the Roster This Year
Over the preseason the team tried him out at running back, where he showed promise. Jones gained 158 yards on 25 carries (6.3 yards per carry), scoring twice. He also caught two passes for 11 yards. His efforts coupled with his athleticism helped him carve out a role for himself on the team’s 53-man roster again this year.
“He made it just by his efforts, and the production he had in practice, in the preseason games, and his willingness to be able to adjust and adapt and then be able to get that done in terms of his performance,” Eberflus said about Jones, adding:
“He’s going to be a guy for us that we can use in multiple ways. We can put him in the backfield, we can spread him out, we can do a lot of different things and that’s a team need, a benefit. Trying to defend that when he comes into the game is a little bit different than just a normal type of receiver or a guy that can line up in the backfield. I think it creates a little time-on-task practice wise for the opponent.”
It’s clear the Bears see potential in Jones. It’ll be up to him to fulfill it.
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