Few players have packed as much action into as little time as former Raiders and Patriots CB Jack Jones, with high highs and low lows. For example, his next team will be his third in four years despite seven interceptions, 27 pass deflections and four defensive touchdowns in that same timespan.
It speaks volumes that both New England and Las Vegas were willing to move on from Jones abruptly despite the impressive production and play-making ability. Jones has built an impressive highlight tape, but his down-to-down consistency has been lacking. He’s been a loose cannon off the field as well, getting booted by the Patriots in his second season with the team for a weapons charge (though it was later dismissed) and team rules violations like missing curfew on road trips.
The Raiders cut Jones a couple of months ago because he didn’t fit the mold the new regime was looking for at the position and because he hit an escalator in his salary for playing time in his first few years that bumped his compensation well above $3 million. No team claimed him on waivers, partially due to the salary, partially due to the reputation Jones has already accrued as a difficult locker room presence.
Jones’ upside is also a little more limited by his age. He was a wild child in college and it delayed his progress to the league. Jones was dismissed from USC going into his junior year due to poor grades and an arrest for burglary. He spent a year at a junior college to rehabilitate his grades, then transferred to Arizona State. He was 25 years old when the Patriots drafted him and turns 28 in December. Cornerback is a young man’s game, and while Jones is a young player, he’s not necessarily a young man by NFL standards.
Still, the big plays should catch the eye of a few teams around the NFL who are desperate for help at cornerback and willing to roll the dice. I wouldn’t expect Jones to cost much more than the veteran minimum with perhaps a couple of incentives to sweeten the deal and minimal guarantees. Essentially, he’d have a chance to compete for a spot in camp with minimal risk if things don’t work out. If Jones behaves and continues to get his hands on the football on defense, there could be some real upside for a team.
Jones, 27, earned an honorable mention for All-Pac-12 honors in 2021 and also received an All-Pac-12 selection in 2020. He was drafted with the No. 121 pick in the fourth round by the Patriots in the 2022 draft.
Jones signed a four-year deal worth $4,406,983 that included a signing bonus of $746,983. He was in the second year of the deal when the Patriots waived him midseason after multiple rules violations. The Raiders claimed Jones off waivers.
He was entering the final year of his rookie contract and set to make a little over $3 million for the 2025 season when the Raiders waived Jones in May.
In 2024, Jones appeared in all 17 games for the Raiders and recorded 69 total tackles, three tackles for loss, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and 16 pass deflections.
We have him included in our Top 100 Available NFL Free Agents list.
Washington Commanders
Former Patriots HC Bill Belichick was the first NFL coach to roll the dice on Jones, and for a year it looked like another shrewd pick. When things ran their course in New England, it was former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, who knew Jones from college and high school, who helped him find a landing spot in Las Vegas. When Pierce was fired, Jones lost his biggest advocate and ally in the league, and the Belichick tree has been pruned sharply as well.
The strongest potential link for Jones might be in Washington, where former Las Vegas secondary coach Jason Simmons is in a similar role for the Commanders. Simmons is also an Arizona State alum, giving him another way to relate to Jones, and it’s worth noting Washington signed former Patriots CB Jonathan Jones this offseason which could provide another layer of familiarity to maximize Jack Jones. Commanders HC Dan Quinn has historically been open to taking on players with baggage to try and get the most out of them, so there are a lot of reasons the Commanders would make the most sense for Jones.
However, the Commanders have also invested heavily in their cornerback room which has been a weak spot. They used a second-round selection on Mike Sainristil last year and traded a third-rounder for Marshon Lattimore, who they will pay $18 million this season. This year they added the veteran Jones, brought back Noah Igbinoghene and dipped back into the second round of the draft for Ole Miss CB Trey Amos. Adding another Jones would make for a crowded room.
At the end of the day, though, getting more production out of this group is all that matters for Washington. Lattimore hasn’t been able to stay healthy and didn’t look good when he was on the field last year. Amos is young, inexperienced and might not be ready to be counted on as a full-time starter. Jones is in his 30s and Igbinoghene is better suited to be depth. The Commanders could add the younger Jones to the room to compete and potentially start him out on the practice squad. Odds are they’ll need him over the course of a long season, if they can keep him locked in and engaged.
Miami Dolphins
No team has a bigger need still at cornerback this offseason than the Dolphins, who remain determined to trade away veteran CB Jalen Ramsey. NFL teams don’t hold tryouts these days, but I bet Dolphins GM Chris Grier has at least entertained the thought given his depth chart. Once Ramsey is gone, the Dolphins will need to find two starters out of a group that includes Cam Smith, Storm Duck, fifth-rounder Jason Marshall and former UDFAs like Ethan Bonner, Isaiah Johnson and more.
Jones would easily be the most accomplished corner on the roster even though he’s played just three seasons. There are also a couple of under-the-radar links that could be relevant. Miami senior assistant Ronnie Bradford was the secondary coach at USC back in 2016-2018, meaning he recruited Jones for the Trojans and coached him for multiple seasons. Dolphins DL coach Austin Clark was also on that Trojans staff.
Whether those two would vouch for Jones given how things ended for him at USC is another question entirely, but at minimum, the familiarity is worth noting and could give Miami enough insight to be comfortable taking a low-risk gamble on Jones. He’d certainly be cheaper than some of the other veterans they’re considering, and that seems to matter a lot for the Dolphins right now. Jones wouldn’t seem to fit with the new culture the Dolphins are trumpeting this year, but he can help on the field and the results there will ultimately dictate more about the future of the decision-makers in Miami than anything else happening behind the scenes.
Minnesota Vikings
Vikings DC Brian Flores is one of the few remaining links to the Belichick-era Patriots that remains in the league as that coaching tree atrophies. Flores is also branching out on his own with a new and innovative scheme that’s been a real advantage for Minnesota in the last year, but there are enough parallels that it’s fair to think he could see the same potential in Jones that Belichick once did. The Vikings could use some reinforcements at cornerback and Flores seems like the type of disciplined coach who can keep Jones in line and maximize his potential. That makes Minnesota a team worth watching as a landing spot, especially if injuries weaken a group that’s already a little thin.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have said they’re content with their current group of cornerbacks, which includes a starting trio of Keisean Nixon, Nate Hobbs and Carrington Valentine along with the usual mix of late-rounders and undrafted free agents jostling for depth roles. There’s no reason not to take them at their word right now, but if camp proves they’re not as solid here as they think, or if injuries change the picture, Jones is an option to consider.
Jones’ track record of ball production should fit in well with Packers DC Jeff Hafley’s emphasis on that side of the ball. The former Boston College head man should also have some familiarity with Jones from his time nearby when the corner was in New England. Green Bay hired former Patriots assistant DeMarcus Covington this offseason, who has a more direct connection to Jones as a member of the coaching staff when he was drafted. Like just about every coach who’s crossed paths with Jones, it’s hit-or-miss whether Covington will offer a recommendation based on Jones’ potential or a discouragement based on his mistakes. But either way, the Packers will have insight.
Buffalo Bills
As the Bills look to get over the hump in the AFC, improving the defense was the top offseason priority. That meant a lot of offseason attention at cornerback. Buffalo brought back Dane Jackson and Tre’Davious White to compete with first-round CB Maxwell Hairston and ideally provide a solid option to go with starters Christian Benford and Taron Johnson.
However, Jackson and White have struggled mightily in the last year or so, and Hairston is a complete unknown as a rookie even if the Bills obviously thought highly of his potential. If this seems like it could still be a weakness for the Super Bowl-hopeful Bills heading into September, they could look for further augmentations — and new CB coach Mike Pellegrino was Jones’ position coach in New England. Buffalo is generally confident in its locker room to manage strong personalities and has been less risk-averse than other teams when it comes to taking on players who might be considered negative off-field presences in the past.
The post Top Free Agent Landing Spots For CB Jack Jones appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.