In a less-than-surprising move, the Baltimore Ravens have released wide receiver and return specialist Jacoby Jones.
Best known for a Super Bowl record 108-yard kickoff return against the San Francisco 49ers back in February of 2013, Jones also earned first-team All-Pro honors that season as a return specialist.
With a $3.3 million cap hit next season and the Ravens looking to cut some of the beef to retain fellow receiver Torrey Smith, this move was seen as inevitable. While the 30-year-old Jones is still one of the best return specialists in the business, he caught just nine passes and played less than 200 snaps on offense last season.
Baltimore was just $2.8 million under the cap prior to releasing Jones, so this is the first of many moves the team will have to make now before the start of free agency in order to clear up enough cap to be viable on the open market and retain key players such as the aforementioned Torrey Smith.
Though, it must be noted that this move frees up just $750,000 in cap room with the dead money Jones had remaining on a four-year, $12 million contract he signed last March.
Photo: USA Today