The Giants already handed out the second-most lucrative deal to an off-ball linebacker in free agency, signing Bobby Okereke. They are not done looking for help at the position.
Deion Jones will meet with the team Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A six-year Falcons starter, Jones spent last season with the Browns. Although Cleveland took on Jones’ through-2024 contract via trade, a reworking sent Jones to free agency this year.
Injuries affected New York’s secondary for most of last season, and its top pass rushers missed time as well. Don Martindale’s unit also featured an undermanned linebacking corps throughout. Even when the unit was at full strength, it resided as one of the league’s worst linebacker groups. The Giants gave Okereke a four-year, $40M deal — one that trailed only Tremaine Edmunds‘ at the position this offseason — to lead a rejuvenation effort.
Most of the big names at linebacker have found homes, though a considerable price drop-off occurred after Okereke. Germaine Pratt and T.J. Edwards — a Giants target who ended up with the Bears — were the only other off-ball ‘backers to sign accords worth at least $6.5M per year. Jones should not be expected to fetch that much, despite being attached to a four-year, $57M extension last year.
A few injuries among Browns linebackers created a need, and Jones stayed healthy after beginning the season on IR. Jones started five of the 11 Browns games he played, logging a 59% defensive snap rate and adding 2.5 sacks to his 44-tackle stat line. Jones, who ranks in the top five in NFL history for pick-sixes by a linebacker (with five), added an interception. Mostly on account of his poor run-defense grade, Pro Football Focus slotted Jones outside the top 70 at the position last season.
Jones, 28, made 88 starts for the Falcons and consistently produced big numbers. He posted five 100-plus-tackle seasons in Atlanta and picked off 11 passes during his six-season run with the team. The former second-round pick underwent shoulder surgery last May and ended up on IR to start the season. While Jones did not help himself much in his contract year, the Giants will likely add at least one more linebacker to their equation — perhaps more than that — even after signing Okereke.
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