Raiders Re-sparked Love of Football for WR Zay Jones
Sometimes, it just isn’t the right fit.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Zay Jones initially joined the league as a second-round draft in 2017. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills.
But for whatever reason, Jones' spark for the game was lost during his time at the Bills organization. Something wasn’t firing right for him when he was in Buffalo.
It was a classic case of simply not being with a team that wasn’t a right fit for him. Jones's passion for the game of football returned when he was traded to the Raiders in October of 2019.
“It’s a lot of fun (being coached by Gruden),” Jones said via Raiders.com. “I’ve said this to many people I’ve talked to, Gruden has kind of reignited that fire and that love, for me, with football again. Football’s something that early on in my career, felt like a job a little bit. But Gruden has brought that passion that’s just like, ‘I enjoy playing this game again. I enjoy being out here.'”
Gruden brought out the passion in Jones after the wide receiver was able to change the scenery.
Despite making only 14 receptions last season, Jones is mentally at a better state in Las Vegas.
Ultimately, sometimes a player needs a couple of years to bounce back and fix their mentality when it comes to the game of football. As much as physical play on the field is important, that can’t happen without the right mindset.
Jones is here to stay with the Raiders for now, as he signed a one-year deal with the Silver and Black this off-season.
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