JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Chris Payton-Jones, a former football star at Sandalwood High School who went on to play professionally and later returned to Jacksonville to become a mentor and successful content creator, passed away in an auto accident on Saturday night. Jones was 30 years old.
Tributes to Payton-Jones flooded social media Sunday as news of his death spread. Family members have confirmed his passing.
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Payton-Jones was perhaps as well-known for his work as a photographer, videographer, and editor in recent years as he was in football. He segued into the content creation industry while he was still playing and steadily built his brand, Flashflix, into a media powerhouse locally. Payton-Jones’ YouTube channel had more than 1.3 million views in a year and a half, and he was constantly churning out high-quality content across social platforms. Payton-Jones has been a constant presence on the high school football sidelines on Friday nights for the past few years. He would mentor aspiring videographers on the craft just as much as he would on explaining the nuances of the defensive back position to young athletes.
At Sandalwood, Payton-Jones was a three-star prospect at cornerback and graduated in 2014. Payton-Jones’ final year included a senior class loaded with high-profile recruits (LB Kain Daub and DL Blake McClain), but Payton-Jones was the only one in that class to reach the NFL.
Adam Geis, Payton-Jones’ high school coach at Sandalwood, said he was a true gem, genuine to the core, and had a work ethic that was elite.
“He was one of my all-time favorites! The kid never missed a workout, never missed practice, and never wanted to come off the field. Everyone loved him,” Geis said. “He was always unbelievably positive. I’ve never heard that kid ever say anything negative about anyone or anything. … It was always a pleasure to be around him. You were always happy to see him.”
Pat Clark, now the associate head coach at Central State University, coached Payton-Jones at Sandalwood and echoed what many have said in their tributes.
“Chris was the hardest working human being I’ve ever been around, a great player but even better person. He was never the biggest or fastest, but he did things the right way, and the game paid him back for it,” Clark said.
“Ultimately, he was going to make his biggest impact off the field as he was transitioning to a career of service in media and development of young athletes. I credit Chris as a huge inspiration to my coaching career as I moved up in the ranks. He is everything you want in a student athlete.”
Jones was well known for his play on the field during his time in high school and signed with the University of Nebraska. He spent four seasons in Lincoln, a rarity in today’s college sports era, earning his degree in sociology in just three and a half years before embarking on his pro football journey. Jones went undrafted in 2018 but fought his way into the NFL the long way, signing onto the Arizona practice squad and eventually making the 53-man roster.
Jones played for five NFL teams between 2018-21, starting six games and playing in 29. Even after the NFL, Payton-Jones stayed connected to pro football, playing in the XFL and UFL. He was selected by the St. Louis Battlehawks during the 2024 dispersal draft and played for them until announcing his retirement earlier this year.
But it was Payton-Jones’ work outside of competition that has left the community reeling. Friends and supporters of Payton-Jones said that his passion was following his calling to give back in his hometown.
“I’ve trained him and worked with him,” said James Coleman, a former fullback at Florida State who has segued into media, business and coaching. “I’ve never been around a more genuine guy who has a big heart for kids in this community. Just a positive role model in action, not choice.”