Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans may remember their new linebacker Deion Jones, who the Bucs signed to their practice squad on Tuesday.
He most recently played for the Carolina Panthers, but he’s best known as a member of the Atlanta Falcons — and one play he made in 2019 may have started a butterfly effect that changed the course of Tampa Bay’s franchise history.
Jones played for the Falcons from 2016-21, and he has a Pro Bowl nod in that timespan. The play we’re talking about came in 2019, though, when the Falcons played the Buccaneers in the last game of the season. Tampa Bay was 7-8, and quarterback Jameis Winston was in that last game of what would be his legendary “30-for-30” season — a year where he threw 33 touchdowns, but a staggering 30 interceptions.
That last interception from Winston happened to go to Jones. It happened to be a pick-six. And it happened to be on the very first play of overtime, which caused the Bucs to lose that game instantly.
Here’s the play in question:
That particular play could have changed quite a bit in Bucs history. The play definitively ended the Jameis Winston era in Tampa Bay — while the prospect of 29 interceptions as opposed to 30 probably didn’t please general manager Jason Licht in the first place, a game-winning drive from Winston could have tipped the scales for a potential extension and return. But that didn’t happen, and the Bucs lost the chance at a .500 record, going 7-9 instead.
After Jones’ pix-six, the Buccaneers opted not to bring Jameis Winston back, and instead signed the GOAT Tom Brady — and the rest is history. A Super Bowl title later, Tampa Bay has seen its culture change and is looking down the barrel of a potential fourth-straight NFC South title.
Jones will now look to make plays on the field at Raymond James Stadium once again if his number is called. This time, though, he’ll be in red and pewter.
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