Freddie Ray Jones Jr. (born September 16, 1974) is a former

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. Jones was drafted by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

with their 2nd round pick (45th overall) in the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

. Jones became one of the best tight ends in the league in his 5 years with the Chargers. On November 4, 2001, he caught

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...

's first touchdown pass. Before the 2002 season he signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

, where he played for 3 years. He then signed with the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

before the 2005 season, but never played. On August 7, 2005, he announced his retirement at the age of 30, with 404 receptions for 4232 yards and 22 touchdowns.

References

1974 births Living people People from Cheverly, Maryland Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland American football tight ends North Carolina Tar Heels football players San Diego Chargers players Arizona Cardinals players {{tightend-1970s-stub