Bears WR Velus Jones Addresses Concerns About Being 25-Year-Old Rookie

The Bears selected wide receiver Velus Jones out of Tennessee in the third round of this year’s NFL draft. It was a unique choice for Chicago, mostly because it makes Jones a 25-year-old rookie.

His age is definitely not what most football fans expect for a rookie. For comparison, Jones is just four months younger than Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who is already entering his fifth NFL season this fall.

Jones isn’t worried about his age, though, as he heads into his rookie season with Chicago.

“People talk about it, but it don’t matter,” Jones said on The Sick Podcast. “I’m a baller at the end of the day. I know what I can do. Me being 25 years [old] is not going to stop me from running past people to score touchdowns and stuff like that. I’m going to be fast for a long time, strong for a long time and making plays for a long time. So, it’s really irrelevant.”

The reason for Jones’ late start to his NFL career is due to the fact that he redshirted his freshman season at USC and then earned an additional year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused him to be in college for six years. He took advantage of his time to earn a master’s degree at Tennessee along with his bachelor’s at USC.

Additionally, Jones noted that he doesn’t have an extensive injury history for his new team to worry about.

“I never had any major injuries in college,” Jones said. “Only thing I had was like a boxing fracture and a high ankle sprain. Never broke a bone, never had surgery in my life. So, honestly I have the body of like a 21 or 22 year old. Then some guys that have a lot of injuries in college and that you know are going to take punishment in the NFL, but I’m healthy as, like a baby horse. I’m healthy as all get out. That really is irrelevant, you know people gonna talk about it. I only can control what I can control, so they can just stay tuned on that.”

In three seasons with USC on the field, Jones finished with 1,947 yards on kick returns. In two seasons with Tennessee, Jones finished with 1,026 yards on kick returns and 272 yards on punt returns.

• Bear Digest: The Key to Luke Getsy Modernizing 2022 Bears Offense

For more Chicago Bears coverage, go to Bear Digest.