Ben Jones' Championship Quest Continues

Motivated by Defeat

Jones, 32 (he’ll be 33 before the start of training camp), had the opportunity to take his title quest in any direction he wanted this offseason. However, two days before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, he re-signed with Tennessee for two years and $14 million, which likely will take him to the end of his career.

It was as a member of the Titans in 2019 when his most recent brush with a championship occurred. That was when Tennessee made an unlikely run to the AFC Championship, where it lost to the eventual champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Since, the Titans have won two straight division titles but failed to get a playoff victory. They were the AFC’s No. 1 seed last season but lost 19-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round.

“Everybody handles defeat differently,” Jones said. “For me, it’s a motivation to come back to work. It’s a mindset I can use every day working out, meeting. Because until you win it all, you’ve fallen short every year.

“So, I’m happy to be back. I’m happy to be working.”

In that case, it’s business as usual right now.

Jones was a four-year starter at Georgia, the reigning king of college football following its victory over Alabama in the most recent College Football Playoff championship. That, however, was the first time since 1981 that program claimed a national championship. In the four years Jones played there, Georgia never finished higher than 13th in the final rankings. As a senior, he was on a team that finished first in the SEC East but was blown out 42-10 by LSU in the conference championship game.

Before Georgia, he was an All-State performer at Bibb County (Ala.) High School, which never has won a football state championship. The Choctaws have claimed 15 region titles, none during the years Jones played there.

Even though Jones never has won a championship, he is confident that he knows what it takes.

“We’re building something special here [in Tennessee],” he said. “We’ve done it over the past – I’d say – four years with Vrabel, and we don’t need just one year to go out and get talent. It’s a process. You have to trust the guys that they put in the room. You’re here for a reason.

“You don’t need just one player to win a championship. It takes a team to win a championship.”