The Bears added speedy rookie wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. this offseason, where the hope is he can develop into a playmaker for quarterback Justin Fields.
One of the biggest criticisms of Jones was that he’s on the older side as a rookie. Jones will be 25 years old when the 2022 season gets underway, which is the same age as some of the league’s top wideouts in A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf.
Jones previously explained that being an older rookie has its benefits. But he also had a clear message for his critics: His age doesn’t matter; he’s going to make plays regardless.
“People talk about it, but it don’t matter,” Jones said on The Sick Podcast. “I’m a baller at the end of the day. I know what I can do. Me being 25 years [old] is not going to stop me from running past people to score touchdowns and stuff like that. I’m going to be fast for a long time, strong for a long time and making plays for a long time. So, it’s really irrelevant.”
Jones has already been showcasing his speed and big-play ability during the offseason program, and he has the potential to become a playmaker in Luke Getsy’s offense.
While there are people criticizing him, Jones also mentioned he didn’t experience any major injuries during college, which makes his body younger than others coming up.
“And I can also say I never had any major injuries in college,” Jones said. “Only thing I had was like a boxing fracture and a high ankle sprain. Never broke a bone, never had surgery in my life. So, honestly I have the body of like a 21 or 22 year old. Then some guys that have a lot of injuries in college and that you know are going to take punishment in the NFL, but I’m healthy as, like a baby horse. I’m healthy as all get outs. That really is irrelevant, you know people gonna talk about it. I only can control what I can control, so they can just stay tuned on that.”
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