Tag Archives: panini contenders 2018 rookie ticket

NFL, XFL

Thomas, Jordan (TE) ‘King Kong’

Panini Contenders 2018 Rookie Ticket, #144

CARD: Panini Contenders 2018 Rookie Ticket
ACQUIRED: EBay, 2023
MEMORABILIA: Jordan Thomas’ Gloves
ACQUIRED: In Person 2023, San Antonio Brahmas v Orlando Guardians

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Jordan Thomas played TE for Mississippi St from 2016-17.
  • In his Senior season he posted 22 receptions for 263 yards and 3 TDs.
  • At 6’5″, 277, Thomas made a massive target and the Texans, (who love drafting TEs), selecting him in the 6th round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
  • He started 10 games his rookie year, catching 20 passes for 215 yards and 4 TDs.
  • Jordan lost a lot of his 2019 to injury- and then got buried on the depth chart.
  • He signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in 2020 and caught a pass for a 3 yard TD.
  • He’d be claimed off of waivers by the Patriots that year during the season and waived just before the new year.
  • The Colts signed Thomas to a reserve contract and he’d be released in September of 2021.
  • In 2022, he signed a futures contract with the Lions and was released just a few months later.
  • In November of that year, Thomas joined up with the XFL as a draft choice of the Battlehawks.
  • He’d be cut in early 2023, but the Orlando Guardians quickly snatched him up.
  • Jordan was not short of highlights playing for the Guardians, and was a star for the team.
Jordan Thomas’ gloves

NOTES:

So I started talking to players as they got ready to hit the field. I recognized Jordan from his time with the Texans and pounded his shoulder pads and gave him words of encouragement. I told him I know he’s money and that he can kill it out there- just not against the Brahmas okay? He laughed at me and then hit the field.

On the first drive he was put in single coverage near the endzone. He caught the jump ball with ease, and as he lifted the ball into the air over the diminutive CB, two DBs attempted to jump and hit the ball out of Jordan’s giant hands. There was audible laughing at the DBs who failed to get anywhere near it. It was like King Kong was slapping down airplanes on top of the Empire State Building. It was great highlight film!

For the remainder of the game the Brahmas kept DB Kameron Kelly on Jordan and Kelly kept him relatively in check. They attempted to try the same play later in the game, but unfortunately there was a miscommunication between QB Dormandy and Jordan resulting in an incompletion.

The following week against his former team Jordan had another highlight worthy play against his former team- the Battlehawks. He caught an 84 yard catch and run on a fake punt for a TD. On the season he had 8 receptions for 148 yards and 3 TDs.

At half time during the game against the Guardians he laughed as he walked toward me and I yelled at him, “I want your gloves man!” He laughed. As the game ended in a Brahmas win, Jordan was one of the last players off the field. The kids were screaming and yelling, harassing players for anything. As Jordan approached they went into overdrive. He laughed again, and said, “I promised my man here for these gloves, took off the sweaty 3XXX gloves and handed the pair to me.

I totally blew it and forgot to pack his Texans card I had, so I went ahead and bought a certified card off of EBay. I hope to see him next year, though at the same time, I’d love to see him return back to the NFL.