The Tennessee Titans have made it official by announcing that center Ben Jones has been released with a failed physical designation that figures to be more procedural than anything else.
While it was thought Jones’ options were Tennessee or retirement, that turned out not to be the case, as the Titans reportedly gave him the option to retire or be let go.
Jones clearly chose the latter, which means he plans to play in 2023. And, per Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky, retirement is not currently in the cards for the 33-year-old, who wasn’t ruling it out earlier this offseason.
Upon announcing the move of Jones’ release, the Titans included a statement from Mike Vrabel that read as follows:
“I want to thank Ben for his time here with the Titans,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “He embodied a lot of the qualities we talk about when we describe a Titans player. He was a great teammate; his toughness was off the charts, and he had a leadership quality that was earned through the relationships he built and the dedication to the game he showed to his teammates.”
Jones was a very good, dependable player who meant a lot to the team and the fan base over his six seasons, and there’s no question Vrabel had no shortage of love for everything about him.
Ben Jones was an absolute bad ass in Tennessee. 🫡 to a real one pic.twitter.com/gtr3zviD1w
— Buck Reising (@BuckReising) March 10, 2023
He will no doubt be missed by the fans and his teammate and coaches, but his time in Nashville will always be fondly remembered.