Cardinals WR Zay Jones suspended for 5 games for violating NFL’s personal conduct policy

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Zay Jones will miss the start of the season after receiving a five-game suspension, the NFL announced Friday.

Jones was arrested last November with a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. The charge was later dropped. The NFL ran its own investigation and found that Jones violated the NFL’s personal conduct policy. As a result, Jones will miss the first five games of the season.

The 29-year-old receiver was arrested Nov. 13 in Jacksonville after police said he got into an argument with the mother of his child. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office deputy said in the arrest report that he “observed several small scratches on the victim’s neck, consistent with marks from a fingernail” as a result of the argument. The charge was dropped in March after evidence was reviewed.

Jones, who played for the Jacksonville Jaguars at the time, signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with the Cardinals in May. Jones was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, but has bounced around to a few teams since. He signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Jaguars in 2022 before the team released him in May.

Jones missed several games last season due to a knee injury. He made 34 catches in 2023, his worst output since 2020.