Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver plays under-the-radar role in Seahawks’ Super Bowl win
The VFL got his hand on the football at a couple of critical times in Super Bowl LX.
For the casual fan watching Super Bowl LX, it might not have registered too much, but former Tennessee Vols WR Velus Jones, Jr. played a notable role in the game for the Seattle Seahawks in their 29-13 win over the New England Patriots.
Jones, Jr., who was a wide receiver at Tennessee from 2020-21 and had 4,738 all-purpose yards with the Vols and USC Trojans, was called up from the practice squad on Saturday. When he was made active for the game on Sunday, it was likely his impact, if any, would come on special teams. And that’s exactly what happened.
Jones, Jr. got his hands on the football twice on punts to help pin the Patriots inside the five-yard line on two separate occasions.
Former Tennessee WR Velus Jones, Jr. helped down two punts inside the five-yard line for Seattle in Super Bowl LX
The first came with Seattle leading 6-0 late in the first half. Facing fourth-and-5 in a position to potentially go for it, head coach Mike Macdonald chose to punt, and punter Michael Dickson made him look smart. The punt bounced towards the corner pylon and looked to be heading out of bounds, but Jones, Jr. got his hand on it and batted it out just to make sure.
The second came with Seattle up 19-7 in the fourth quarter and looking to put the game on ice. Dickson blasted another punt, but this one got over the returner’s head and started bouncing and rolling towards the end zone.
Jones, Jr. reached it on a full sprint and batted it backwards around the one-yard line to keep it from going into the end zone for a touchback. His teammates downed it at the one and put the Patriots in the shadow of their own end zone once again.
It was a somewhat unlikely spot for Jones, Jr., as he was elevated from the practice squad but was inactive for the Seahawks’ NFC Championship game win over the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago.
Now, the former Vol is walking off the field a Super Bowl champion. And he literally had a helping hand in Seattle claiming its second Lombardi Trophy.
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