On Tuesday, the Edmonton Elks named Chris Jones the new head coach and general manager. Chris Jones previously coached the Elks, then Eskimos, to a Grey Cup championship in 2015.
The 55-year-old from South Pittsburg, Tennessee, was a defensive consultant for the Toronto Argonauts.
Chris Jones spent two seasons in Edmonton with a record of 26-10 (.722-win percentage) that included winning the 2015 Grey Cup over the Ottawa Redblacks.
Chris Jones has spent 18 years in the CFL that began in 2002 as defensive line coach for the Montreal Alouettes. The Alouettes won the Grey Cup that season, their first since 1977. Montreal’s defense recorded 50 sacks, 757 tackles, four interceptions, and 26 fumble recoveries.
Jones was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Alouettes for five seasons before taking the same position with the Calgary Stampeders. In 2008, the Stampeders’ defense recorded two interceptions, 33 sacks, 876 tackles, and 19 fumble recoveries, which led Calgary to win the Grey Cup in Montreal over the Alouettes. It was Chris Jones’s second Grey Cup championship.
Chris Jones took on additional roles with the Stampeders, including Assistant head coach and Assistant Director of Player Personnel. In 2012, he left Calgary to take on the same role on Toronto, and the Argonauts won the Grey Cup, his third as a coach. Then, in 2014, he was named the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos.
After winning his third Grey Cup championship in Edmonton, Jones left Edmonton for Saskatchewan as a head coach and general manager.
After the Roughriders lost to the Calgary Stampeders in the 2017 Western Final, Jones resigned as head coach just a week after signing an extension to join the Cleveland Browns as a Senior Defensive Specialist.
After one season, Jones was removed and coached his alma mater at South Pittsburg High School. However, after the school was placed on probation for recruiting violations, he left and returned to the Toronto Argonauts.
The Edmonton Elks open the 2022 season on Saturday, June 11th, at the BC Lions.
