Velus Jones Jr. confident ‘this year’s going to be a great year’

As Jones begins to prepare for his second NFL season, he can’t wait to pick up in 2023 where he left off in 2022.

“It really motivates me,” he said of his strong finish last season. “I’m looking forward to this year. I know this year’s going to be a great year.”

Jones is proud of how he battled back from his mistakes as a rookie.

“I learned that half of the game is mental,” he said. “It’s your mentality, how you approach the day, how you bounce back because there are going to be ups and downs. There are going to be ups and downs, but it’s all about staying on a narrow path. That’s something I’ve been working on, especially with my mental health. It’s all about adversity and how you respond. I feel like that’s a huge part of this game and so far I feel like I did a good job, but I’m looking forward to year 2023.”

Jones has already started to prepare for his second season. He purchased a JUGS machine to catch passes and punts and had the Bears ship him a bunch of footballs. There’s another JUGS machine he can use at his alma mater, Saraland High School, which he insists is “the best high school in the state of Alabama, if you didn’t know.”

“The JUGS machine is an investment,” Jones said. “I’m going to be on that thing dang near every day. You can work some punt return stuff with it, catch up close and far balls.”

Jones will eventually head to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to train and then return to Chicago for the Bears offseason program in April.

Asked what excites him most about the upcoming season, he said: “Being back up there with my teammates, my quarterback, my receiving corps.”

“I’m just excited,” Jones added. “That was one of the [most fun] teams I’ve been on. It was great energy. [I’m] ready to be back out there rockin’ and rollin’ with my brothers.”