CARDS: Pro Set 1989, Topps Stadium Club 1992, Topps XFL 2020 ACQUIRED: TTM 2024, C/o Home SENT: 4/20 RECEIVED: 5/1 (11 Days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
Jonathan Hayes played TE for Iowa from 1982-’84.
He caught 50 passes for 602 yards and 5 TDs for the Hawkeyes.
Second round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1985.
A formidable blocker he caught 22 passes in 1988, and then a career high 24 in 1993.
Signed with the Steelers in 1994 and finished out his playing career there after the 1996 season.
Joined Bob Stoops coaching staff in Oklahoma during 1999 as a TE/ Special Teams coach.
In 2003, took over the TE coaching duties for the Cincinnati Bengals.
He’d become a mainstay on the Bengals staff, serving in his duties through the 2018 season.
Jonathan got his first head coaching and GM gig with the XFL in 2020.
He’d guide the St. Louis Battle Hawks to a 3-2 record, before the league was shut down by COVID.
When the XFL returned in 2023, Jonathan was lured back to be offensive coordinator by his old coach… Bob Stoops and the Renegades.
After winning the XFL Championship he opted to return to Ohio and is currently an Athletic Director at the HS level.
NOTES:
I’m pretty sure that Jonathan walked right past me after the XFL Championship Game and I didn’t initially recognize him. Later I took a shot on Jonathan TTM, and it paid off, as not only did he sign my cards, he also drew up a play for me!
After being released by the Rams, Nelson signed with the Bears in October of 2017.
Then after two small stints with the Chiefs and Chargers, Nelson signed with the San Diego Fleet of the AAF at the tail end of 2018.
In Week 7 against the Arizona Hotshots in 2019, he had 12 catches for 146 yards.
He finished 5th with 426 yards and second in catches with 38.
After the collapse of the AAF- he was a 3rd round pick of the Los Angeles Wildcats of the XFL in 2020.
Caught 20 passes for 256 yards and 2 scores in 3 starts.
Unfortunately the COVID pandemic derailed the XFL season after the midway point of the season.
Spent about 6 months on the off-season roster of the Montreal Alouettes in 2021.
As of 2024- is a VP of brand/ product development with FIBR.
NOTES:
OK. So I sat intentionally on Nelson’s post for a while. Almost right after I got his autographs back from 2019, I popped open a box of XFL 2020 and, “Pfbbbttt,” There’s Nelson’s XFL base card- so I had to get that signed too. Then it hit me… Nelson, despite his stat line and prominence in the AAF, doesn’t appear in the set. I needed to do all that before throwing up another post about him.
I really upped my quality on the custom cards across the board, down to the print quality and design. I was very happy with how the AAF card turned out, and I sent an extra for him to keep as well.
Cardale Jones played QB for the Ohio State University from 2013-2016.
He got his first start in the Big Ten Championship Game in 2014, when he threw for 257 yards and 3 TDs- and was named MVP of the game.
After a battle with JT Barrett for the starting role, Jones earned the starting nod in 2015.
Started 7 games throwing for 1460 yards and 8 TDs (5 INT), while rushing for 193 yards on 64 carries (2 TD).
Declared for the 2016 NFL Draft.
Selected in the 4th round by the Buffalo Bills.
Buried on the depth chart behind Tyrod Taylor and EJ Manuel, he completed 6 of 11 passes for 96 yards and an interception his rookie year.
Traded to the Chargers in 2017.
Spent 2018 on the Chargers practice squad.
Released in 2019, and joined the Seahawks for a bit over a week.
Joined the DC Defenders of the XFL20 later that year.
Had a solid debut in the league completing 16 of 26 passes for 291 yards and 2 TDs for the team’s first win.
Finished the abbreviated season with 674 yards on 61 of 113 passing (4 TD to 7 INT).
Briefly was on the radar of the Edmonton Elks of the CFL and then later the Massachusetts Pirates in ’22.
NOTES:
My good friend Seth Lessans- a season ticketholder of the Defenders in 2020, was willing to help me get any autographs I wanted, so I cashed in big time with a bunch of players including Cardale on his Panini Contenders School Colors card. I’ve tried to keep up with Seth, but our communication is spotty for whatever reason. I hope he’s doing okay.
I got a few of these really nice XFL cards of Cardale, but I didn’t want to risk them TTM or pay the going rate I’d seen at a few events of roughly 50 bucks per item. Eventually I was able to find an event through the same broker that got me Pete Mandley a few months ago for an extremely reasonable price. I went ahead and cashed in nearly all my set needs.
Cardale maintains that he still loves the game and is ready to suit up at any time.
Celebrating the game, the players, the cards, and the autographs for over 25 years.
