Cardale Jones Was Sure He Was Being Pranked When Buffalo Bills Came Calling


Cardale Jones is usually someone who has plenty of confidence so it might strike some as odd that when he got the call on draft day, he thought he was getting pranked. Cardale Jones, the former Ohio State quarterback, was eventually drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round, but for a while there he thought the team that called to tell him he’d been selected was someone having a little fun with him.

“I was just so excited. I’m not gonna lie; I haven’t even told the coaches this yet: I thought it was kind of like a prank call. Because I was getting calls from weird numbers all day. I would answer and (they) would hang up.”

Jones told Buffalo’s WGR-AM, per ESPN‘s Mike Rodak. While Jones attempted to figure out whether or not a joke was being played on him, the Bills hung in there, apparently not sure why he wasn’t a bit more excited. Jones said he didn’t believe he was going to be a Bill until he saw his name roll across the draft ticker on ESPN. As Fox Sports points out, one of the reasons Jones was so sure there was a trick being pulled is because he kept getting calls from “weird numbers” all day.

https://twitter.com/NFLKibow/status/727879012207337473

Cardale Jones said most of the time the weird numbers would just hang up once he picked up the phone but there were a couple of times the caller would claim they were for an NFL team. Jones saw through those tricks for the most part because of the time of day they were calling. When it came time for the Buffalo Bills to make the call and let Jones know he had been selected, he was a bit gunshy about calls from numbers he didn’t recognize.

https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/727935912177483777

It’s a safe bet this kind of thing happens more often than players let on. Jones was just a guy who was willing to admit he was doubtful at first. Considering the number of teams that were giving a long look at Cardale Jones, including the San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals, he probably shouldn’t have been nearly as surprised as he appeared to be that the Bills called his number. Jones had a bit of an up and down career in college as his former head coach was prone to play musical chairs when it came to starting quarterback.

There were times when Ohio State fans had no idea from one week to the next who was going to be under center come game day. If the fans were confused, it’s a safe bet Jones and his teammates were just as confused. As a true sophomore, Cardale Jones appeared in or started 10 games for the Buckeyes. He was the quarterback who took the team into the playoffs and helped Ohio State to the National Championship game. When the dust had cleared on the 2015 season, he had thrown for 890 yards, seven touchdown passes, and just two interceptions while completing 60.9 percent of his passes. Jones also ran for 296 yards and a touchdown.

2016 was a bigger struggle for the big quarterback. While Jones threw for 1,459 yards and eight touchdowns, he also threw five interceptions. Those turnovers were a key to him having to switch out and trade starting duties. Despite his college coach not being willing to give Cardale Jones the final starting job, NFL teams have said his size and arm strength make him an ideal candidate to attempt to develop. The Buffalo Bills don’t have an established quarterback for the 2016 season. What Cardale Jones might have first thought of as a joke could turn into the opportunity of a lifetime.

[Photo by Rich Schultz /Getty Images]

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