Travis Jones had his sights on being a cleanup hitter in the big leagues.
It was his mother, Joycelyn Ward, who literally pushed him to play football for the first time in high school in New Haven, Conn.
With his mom at his side Thursday afternoon, Jones inked a life-changing three-year contract extension worth a reported $40.5 million with $25 million guaranteed. Now his first order of business is to repay the debt.
He says he wants to buy his mom a new house and make sure she doesn't have to work ever again.
"I just want to take care of my mom, sisters, nephew, and niece. Now I'm in a stable situation to do that for them," Jones said with a broad smile, just like his shoulders.
A third-round pick out of Connecticut, Jones has developed into one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL.
His rare combination of 6-foot-4, 341-pound size and athleticism is one reason why. But his work ethic is another major factor. Though Jones got a late start to football, he has embraced everything about it.
Jones' stats don't jump off the paper, but the Ravens see a young 26-year-old player who is still ascending, as General Manager Eric DeCosta mentioned after the deal was inked.
In his nearly four seasons, Jones has 136 tackles, five sacks, and 15 tackles for loss. But his contribution to the Ravens can't be measured in numbers.
"I think Travis Jones is one of the most underrated defensive linemen in the National Football League," Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said. "For what he does, the amount of snaps he plays, he's a force in there."
His coaches and teammates rave about him. Defensive Line Coach Dennis Johnson said this summer that Jones can be the best player on the field. After the bye, when Jones had a chance to get healthier, Orr said he expected him to dominate. On Thursday, Orr said he's seen Jones make more impact plays in the second half of the season.
Jones already plays a huge role in the Ravens' defensive front. He's played 67% of their defensive snaps, which is rare for a player at his position and size. Now he wants to get more sacks as he continues to grow as a player and plans to lose some weight next offseason to do so.
"I just need to get better at pass rush, for real," Jones said. "That's my only goal going into this offseason – get right with my pass rush and be more productive with that."
There's one thing the Ravens know, and it's that Jones will put in the work. He hardly left the Under Armour Performance Center after last season ended. Jones said the longest he thinks he's gone without lifting is a week.
"Just seeing his growth from Year 1 to now Year 4, he's someone that has definitely earned every penny he's getting," center Tyler Linderbaum said. "He's a guy that's always in the weight room getting big and strong and he shows it out on the football field."
Orr wasn't lying when he said the Ravens' linebackers may be the happiest guys in the locker room knowing they'll have Jones in front of them gobbling up blockers.
"Great player, even better person. He's truly a good dude," linebacker Roquan Smith added. "He's one of the most unselfish dudes I've ever come across. Just knowing how he goes about his business, he's one of the hardest workers. He lives in the weight room."
Jones would much rather be in the weight room or on the football field than thinking about his contract. He said it wasn't a weight on his shoulders this season, but he was glad his agent and the Ravens got it done before he became a free agent.
Jones also feels more at ease handling offensive linemen than questions from the media. He said the only bad thing about the contract extension is having to talk about it.
Immediately after walking away from the microphone, Jones walked straight back into the weight room.
