Marlon Jones Went From Beating Cancer to Biggest Play of Packers Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When he was diagnosed with lymphoma, the oncologist told Marlon Jones Jr. that he’d never play football again.

On Wednesday at Green Bay Packers training camp, the rookie cornerback took an interception back 99 yards for a touchdown.

What was he thinking while on his way to the end zone?

“First of many,” he told Packers On SI.

Jones was diagnosed with lymphoma while transferring from Eastern Washington to Vanderbilt in 2024. He sat out that season – he was declared cancer free in November 2024 – and returned to the field in 2025. He didn’t have any interceptions in nine games for Vandy but made the biggest play of the first day of training camp.

“It means a lot, just the story that I’ve had to endure, fighting cancer, going through chemo, having to take a year off of football, going to Vandy,” Jones said. “I definitely took the scenic route to get here, but I don’t regret any of it. I wouldn’t change any of it. I think it’s all made me who I am today. I’m just building my testimony one day at a time. So, I’m grateful for the story that I’m able to tell.”

It’s a story the oncologist thought would never be told – at least told with a happy ending. In the moment, the cancer diagnosis and the challenging road ahead was hard enough to handle. To be told he wasn’t going to be able to play football again?

That hit even harder.

“Yeah, that was tough,” Jones said. “Honestly, that was my main concern. I really wasn’t even worried about my health too much at the time. I just wanted to play football. So, when I had found out that I was going to miss at least the year, maybe I would never play football again, it just really shocked my confidence, my self-esteem. I really had to evaluate who I was as a person.

Green Bay Packers cornerbacks Marlon Jones (46) and Benjamin St-Juste (21) run through a drill at training camp on Wednesday. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“But I think it was good for me. I think it was something that humbled me and allowed me to re-establish my life as a person and build a proper foundation as a person first, which then allows me to be a better player.”

A doctor is the medical authority. How was Jones able to digest what he had been told and think to himself that, yes, he would play football again?

“Yeah, I credit that to my faith,” he said, “because it would have been really easy to listen to the doctor, who we’re supposed to defer authority to and they know what they’re talking about when it comes to health.

“But I had a bigger plan. God had a bigger plan for me, which I believed from Day 1, which is why I wasn’t really worried about my health. I knew I was going to be fine, I knew I was going to prevail. So, it was really in one ear and out the other. Like, ‘You told me I’m not going to play football?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, whatever. Yes, I am.’ It just took me a while to get there and where I am today, but I’m using it for good.”

So, Jones relied on his self-confidence and faith and ignored his doctor. After going through chemotherapy rather than training and playing, he returned to action in 2025. He played in nine games and made one start. At pro day, he posted excellent testing numbers, with a Relative Athletic Score of 8.26.

Jones didn’t expect to be drafted, and he wasn’t. But he wasn’t signed, either. After a couple weeks waiting for an opportunity that never came, Jones started contemplating life without football.

“Yeah, for sure, I would be lying if I say that never crossed my mind,” he said. “But, like I said, the journey that I took to get here prepared me for that to where I was able to still store up some confidence in myself as a person first. I think that’s the biggest thing that this whole thing has taught me is who I am outside of football, and I believe that translates to who I am on the field.”

The Packers had one open roster spot. It was supposed to go to tight end Luke Lachey, but he failed his physical (but signed a month later). So, the Packers brought in Jones for a workout.

Marlon Jones Jr. wasn’t supposed to have signed with the Packers. His oncologist said as much after he was diagnosed with stage-3 lymphoma.

“I don’t believe in coincidence,” his mom said. “And somehow, some way, this team had one (roster) spot left.”https://t.co/aWjVfBw6u0
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) May 22, 2026

“It was a sigh of relief,” he said, “especially after that period of silence where I hadn’t received a phone call. A sigh of relief. I was ready. And I just felt calm, which, again, I would credit to my faith.

“It was a weird sense of peace, of calmness. I had been prepared. I knew that if I just got an opportunity, I would make the most of it. And I believe that’s what I did, obviously. I’m just humble and appreciative for every opportunity that I get. And today was another, just one of those opportunities.”

A sense of calm? With his first – and possibly last – chance to keep his NFL dream alive?

How?

“One, God, that’s who gives me my peace,” he said. “So, no man or no circumstance can take that away because He’s the person who gives that to me. And then just the things that I’ve been through in my life.

“As bad as things may be in the moment, I feel like when you come out on the other side, those are the situations that you can then look back on and be like, ‘OK, now I know how to handle the situation. I know how to get through this.’ So, when situations come that you’re not expecting, it doesn’t crumble, it doesn’t crush you.”

Jones aced the workout and got his contract. He competed throughout the offseason, then made the huge play on Wednesday when he used his instincts and athleticism to grab a pass at the pylon. About 99 yards later, he was celebrating with fellow cornerbacks Brandon Cisse and Kamal Hadden, among others.

“Just super-excited for somebody like that. It couldn’t happen to a better person,” Cisse said. “As soon as he came back, I think a couple days ago, he just came in and gave me a big hug. I’m so super-happy for him. Nobody deserves an opportunity more than him. Super-talented player who deserves everything that he’s getting.

“That’s why you see me celebrate. I’m so happy when he catches a pick like that because I know everything he’s been through. So, super-excited for him and can’t wait to see where it goes.”

Jones was diagnosed with lymphoma. He was told he’d never play football again. He wasn’t drafted. He wasn’t signed. When he did sign, he essentially was the 90th player on the roster.

And yet, there he was, in the end zone with the biggest play of training camp.

In the big picture, what does it all mean?

“I think it’s a small win and definitely a boost of confidence for me,” he said. “And, like you said, it’s just another confirmation that I do belong here. Definitely not done yet. I am hopeful that it’s the first of many, but it’s definitely a sign that I’m headed in the right direction.”

What happened yesterday at Packers training camp?

A lot.

Here's everything, including the Play of the Day, Player of the Day, winning unit, highlights, lineups and much more. ⬇️https://t.co/u2KqtXIG7E
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) July 30, 2026

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