The Arizona Cardinals got off to quite the start in free agency.
No - the team didn't sign the likes of a Brian Burns or Christian Wilkins - though the Cardinals did manage to bring in four fresh faces on Monday in Sean Murphy-Bunting, Bilal Nichols, Justin Jones and Mack Wilson.
Arizona signed all the aforementioned players to three-year deals, though Pro Football Focus isn't exactly a fan of the Cardinals' financial handling with Jones after reportedly handing him a three-year, $30.1 million deal.
PFF's Brad Spielberger: "Jones brings a high motor and was the Bears’ Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee in 2023, always quick to talk some trash and energize the defense. Nonetheless, this payday dramatically outpaces his down-to-down production. He does have some occasional splash plays that illustrate what made him a Day 2 draft pick, but this is probably the deal we view as the most player-friendly signing so far this offseason."
Jones played in every game the past two seasons with 68% and 69% of snaps played on the defensive side of the ball. Last year, Jones totaled 49 combined tackles with 4.5 sacks, four passes batted and 17 quarterback hits.
Out of the 17 defensive linemen that have signed contracts this offseason, Jones' average salary of $10.3 million ranks sixth while his total guarantees of $26.75 million ranks fourth on Spotrac.
Our own Alex D'Agostino graded the move as a C+:
"From a pure value standpoint, this deal is worse than the Nichols move. That being said, he provides another dimension to the same position of need. As we've mentioned before, Gannon likes to run rotations with his D-line, so Jones will look to serve more of a specific role," he wrote.
For more on Jones - and the other signings from yesterday - you can read the article below:
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