New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots keep their top CB from hitting free agency

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 3/13/23

Jonathan Jones was sure to have plenty of interest had he hit the open market, but the New England Patriots didn’t want to take that chance.

Jones and the Patriots agreed to a two-year deal on Monday, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, keeping the 29-year-old cornerback in New England through 2024. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Switching from playing primarily in the slot to more of the outside coverage role vacated by J.C. Jackson, who left to join the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason, Jones had a career year in 2022.

He led the Patriots with nine forced incompletions this year and tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and he allowed a completion percentage of 53.5 — second-best on the team. Quarterbacks had a passer rating of 76.8 when targeting him too.

Opposing offenses lost -15.6 EPA targeting Jonathan Jones in 2022, the 5th-most among outside cornerbacks.

Jones moved to outside cornerback last season after playing primarily in the slot during his first six seasons in the league.#ForeverNE https://t.co/Fe3D36eCUL pic.twitter.com/loVjzRzG5j
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 13, 2023

Jones told NBC Sports Boston in February that the goal was to return to New England in 2023 if the money made sense.

"That's where I've spent my career,” he said. “It's what I know. It's what I love. I mean, New England is home for me in that aspect. We'll see. We'll see how free agency turns out... and we'll take it from there. …[I’m] just going into free agency, taking everything in stride, you know, one day at a time, and then just enjoying the process, enjoying the journey. Something new for me."

Patriots had been working on a deal with Jonathan Jones over the past few weeks. I thought there was a chance he didn't hit free agency - and that's what happened.

Bringing back Jones is big for the defense and Patriots locker room. https://t.co/A7Sewt93gc
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) March 13, 2023