He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he was a CFP national champion, and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft.

[10][11] In March 2014, head coach Urban Meyer described Jones as a "different guy" who was "making progress in the classroom.

[15] Entering the 2014 season as a redshirt sophomore, Jones was third on the Buckeyes' depth chart, behind Braxton Miller and J. T. Barrett.

[16][17] Jones made his first start of his college career in the Big Ten Championship Game in place of Barrett, who had been injured the prior week versus Michigan.

In a news conference, Jones said that while he did not officially rule out declaring for the 2015 NFL draft, he believes that he is "not ready for that level yet," partly because he has only started in 3 college football games.

[21] After a competition with Barrett that lasted the entire off-season, Jones was named the Buckeyes' starting quarterback immediately before game time in Ohio State's season opener at Virginia Tech.

Both he and Barrett remained listed as co-starters on the depth chart headed into September 12 meeting with Hawaii.

[25] At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Jones suffered a hamstring injury during his second 40-yard dash attempt, ending his workout prematurely.

In 2016, he was inactive for the first 15 games of the season as the third-string quarterback behind primary backup EJ Manuel and starter Tyrod Taylor.

[32][31] On July 26, 2017, Jones was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a conditional draft pick.

In his first XFL start, Jones went 16-of-26 for 291 yards and two touchdowns and led the team in rushing, helping propel the DC Defenders to their first win.

[40] Jones led the Defenders to the XFL's first shutout, defeating the New York Guardians in Week 2 behind his 276 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–0 victory.