Chicago Bears: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time

Coming out of Virginia in 2000, Thomas Jones was supposed to be a stud and the Arizona Cardinals used the No. 7 overall pick with that expectation. They wound up being disappointed, though, as Jones struggled with injuries. He played just one full season in three years for the Cardinals.

By his fourth NFL season, he was on a new team, as he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003. Jones had an injury-free season, which led to him signing a long-term deal with the Bears.

Finally a featured back, Jones made the most of his opportunity in The Windy City. He rushed for 948 yards and seven touchdowns that season before reeling off back-to-back campaigns with more than 1,000 yards.

His best season came in 2005 when Jones rushed for 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns. Then in 2006, he was the leading rusher despite sharing the backfield with Cedric Benson, as the Bears made it all the way to Super Bowl XLI.

Jones left the Bears after three seasons and had an even better run with the New York Jets, where he played for the next three seasons. He then played two years for the Kansas City Chiefs before calling it a career at age 33.

After his football career was done, Jones started a career as an actor and can be seen in the Netflix Marvel series ‘Luke Cage’ as Comanche. He was also in the films ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and ‘A Violent Man’.