Marvin Jones Jr. Says 'We Just Failed as a Whole Organization'
Even though former Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn struggled to assemble a winning roster, the acquisition of wideout Marvin Jones Jr. will go down as one of his best decisions during his tenure in Motown.
The talented wideout was drafted in the fifth round (166th overall) by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2012 NFL Draft.
He signed with Detroit as a free agent in March of 2016, after spending the first four years of his career with the Bengals.
After five highly productive seasons, Jones Jr. is now looking to sign with a franchise that is a contender to win the Lombardi Trophy and to earn what he's worth.
“Nothing’s off the table, but at this point in my career, that’s what I want,” Jones said on SiriusXM Thursday. “That is what I want, but at the same time, it’s not going to be -- I’m not going to just straight sacrifice and not get what I’m worth just because I’ve put in my work to get where I’m at, and it happened the first time and I did it, and I think I outplayed it the second time.
“I think there’s variables, obviously. I know if there’s certain teams that come knocking on my door, we’ll get something to work for both sides. But at the same time I am 31, I am going on my 10th season, but I’m still running past people and I’m doing the things that I’ve always done. So I have no signs of slowing down at all. And I think what I get will reflect that. But at the same time, you take a step back and you talk to your family and maybe my priorities have changed. Definitely am looking for somewhere to go where I can go in and contribute and be a leader and win some games. So, we’ll see.”
Despite having an obvious connection with teammate and close friend Matthew Stafford, the team struggled to adapt to the stringent regimen established by Quinn and former head coach Matt Patricia.
“I think we were so close to having that team success, with the camaraderie we had between the players and the coaches and the locker room and stuff like that,” Jones said. “I felt like that was going to happen, and I mean, obviously, with what happened in ‘18, it was tough, you know what I’m saying? It was tough for everybody. It was obviously a new regime and trying to come up with different ways to run the program other than what we were used to, and we just failed as a whole organization.”
© Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Early reports indicate that the California native could reunite with Stafford out in Los Angeles.
“I love the guy, man. He’s a warrior. I feel like I say this every time I talk about him, but you can tell everything means a lot to him. All this means a lot to him -- being on the field, being with his brothers, stuff like that. They just don’t make them like that no more,” Jones said following Detroit's loss to the Tennessee Titans.
More from SI All Lions:
Will QB Chase Daniel Be on Lions' Roster in 2021?
Why LB Matt Milano Makes Sense for Lions' Defense
Pros and Cons of Lions Franchise Tagging Kenny Golladay
3 Players Detroit Lions Should Avoid in Free Agency
Lions Select Trey Lance in Birkett's First Mock Draft
Lions 3-Round Mock Draft: Improving the Defense
Get the latest Detroit Lions news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI All Lions page. Mobile users click the notification bell. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @DetroitPodcast.
