Chris Payton-Jones (Image: UFL)
Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Chris Payton-Jones was killed in a car crash at 30.
Jones’ vehicle collided with a pickup truck near Jacksonville, Florida, on April 12. Jones was the only one killed. The driver and two passengers of the pickup truck suffered minor injuries.
It’s unknown how the accident happened. The two cars collided head-on.
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Jones was a three-star recruit out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Florida. His former high school coach, Adam Geis, spoke about Jones’ death.
“He was always unbelievably positive. I’ve never heard that kid ever say anything negative about anyone or anything.… It was always a pleasure to be around him. You were always happy to see him,” Geis said.
Jones committed to Nebraska out of high school. In his senior season, he was on the watchlist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He made the Brook Berringer and Tom Osborne Citizenship Teams. These awards are given to student-athletes who have a positive impact on the Nebraska community. Berringer was also killed in a car crash.
After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, he signed a contract with the Detroit Lions. He was cut shortly before the season began.
Two days after being cut by the Lions, the Cardinals signed him to their practice squad. He made his NFL debut in November against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones stayed with the Cardinals until 2020.
After being cut by the Cardinals, he had brief stints with the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders. He played in the XFL in 2023 and the UFL in 2024 and 2025.
Jones retired after his 2025 stint in the UFL. Jones created a YouTube channel highlighting youth sports in Jacksonville. Current Sandalwood High School coach Patrick Clark praised him for his community work.
“He just was an honest, genuine, true-to-himself type of person,” Clark said.
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