Donald Jones' 2012 season was the most successful in his three-year NFL career. Second on the team in touchdown catches and third on the team in receptions (41) and receiving yards (443) Jones most productive year for the Bills was cut short by a medical condition. A condition Jones chose to keep private at this time.
"It's really something I've been dealing with so now going on I-R gives me a chance to really rest my body and get everything back together," Jones said Thursday. "I can't really speak on it right now. Once I go see the doctors and get a chance to talk to everybody and gather everything together I'm sure more will come out then."
Jones will be heading to New York City, not far from his native New Jersey home in Plainfield, to see medical specialists for his condition to map out a better course of action for monitoring the undisclosed ailment.
"I'm just trying to go see the doctors and get a better treatment for what it is," said Jones. "Right now up here I can't really get that kind of treatment and I can't let my body rest. So I'm going to go home and see the doctors and get a better treatment and get a better understanding of how I can deal with it during the season."
While the receiver would not share the nature of the condition, he did say he's been dealing with it for years and it does not impact his performance on the field whatsoever.
"It's not career threatening at all," said Jones. "It's just something I need to go speak to some doctors and get everything together and just get back healthy. But it's not career ending or career threatening at all."
Jones believes he can have a new course of action laid out and begin effectively implementing it in a month's time, so he is fully confident he'll be able to proceed with a full offseason football regimen.
Jones will be a restricted free agent this offseason, but is confident that his career will continue with the Bills.
"I definitely feel comfortable with the support of the coaching staff and management. Moving forward I'm sure we'll be talking with them soon," said Jones. "Just like me they have to get a better understanding of how we can treat this going forward with the doctors and everything. Once that is under control then we can do everything with the contract and stuff."
At this point Jones has moved past the initial shock of having his season interrupted by his medical condition, and is only focused on making sure it doesn't sidetrack his career again.
"Going from having the best season that I've had in the league to this now is definitely something that I didn't want to have to go through, but that initial impact is done now," he said. "So now it's just moving forward and I've got to go home and get everything right so I can get back healthy and get back on the field and just be strong for everybody."
