The NFL announced a five-game suspension for former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones on Friday, a result of Jones violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
Jones was arrested in November on misdemeanor domestic battery charges before later pleading not guilty.
Assistant state attorney Marie Theresa Ryan wrote in court filings, “After reviewing the evidence in the case, the undersigned Assistant State Attorney declines to prosecute this defendant for these charges.”
“The Florida state attorney’s office dropped a misdemeanor domestic battery charge against Zay Jones in March, when he was on the Jaguars. But the NFL ran its own investigation, which is standard, and returned a five-game suspension,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said on X on Friday, explaining why Jones was suspended despite the charges being dropped.
Jones finished his second season with the Jaguars after signing a three-year, $24 million deal with $14 million in guarantees in 2022, but he was released shortly after the 2024 NFL Draft when the Jaguars selected LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas at No. 23 overall.
Jones caught 82 passes for 823 yards and five touchdowns in his first season with the team, appearing in 16 regular-season games and starting two playoff games. Jones caught 13 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs.
Jones, who injured his knee in Week 2 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, appeared in just nine games last year. Jones missed several weeks before returning Week 5 vs. the Buffalo Bills, where he caught five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown before his injury flamed up again in the second half.
Jones then missed the next four games before returning in Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans. Jones played in five more games before a hamstring injury in Week 15. Jones then missed the next two games before returning in the Week 17 finale.
Jones finished the 2023 season with 34 catches for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Through two seasons with the Jaguars, Jones caught 116 passes for 1,144 yards and seven touchdowns.
Jones took visits with multiple teams this offseason before eventually signing with the Arizona Cardinals.