DETROIT — Make it one, two, three 'homecomings' now for the Detroit Lions this offseason.
Veteran wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. announced via his Twitter on Wednesday that he will be returning to Detroit, where he spent five seasons from 2016-20. NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo reported the deal is for one year with a base salary of $3 million and incentives that can push the total to $5 million.
Jones, who turned 33 earlier this month, is third on Detroit's all-time touchdown reception list (36) behind only Calvin Johnson (83) and Herman Moore (62). Over five seasons with the Lions, he recorded an average of 62.2 receiving yards per game and 14.9 yards per catch.
The signing fills a void left by the departure of wide receiver D.J. Chark, who signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last week. Offensive lineman Graham Glasgow and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin have also had reunions with the team after striking free-agent deals in recent weeks.
"I mean, when I was looking for places to go, that was something that was really enticing to me, just seeing how good they've been so far," Glasgow said last week.
Jones was a fifth-round pick by the Bengals in 2012 and spent his first three seasons in Cincinnati before signing a five-year, $40 million deal in Detroit during the 2016 offseason.
Following his tenure with the Lions, Jones joined the Jacksonville Jaguars on a two-year deal. He caught 73 passes for 832 yards and four touchdowns, but for the first time in his career, saw that production dip significantly last season as the Jaguars added several new weapons for young quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He caught 46 passes for 529 yards and three touchdowns over 16 games in 2022.
While it's probably safe to assume that Jones' best days are behind him, he has been far more durable than Chark recently. Jones missed just one game over his last two seasons; Chark missed six in his one and only season with Detroit.
