Patriots Release Jack Jones: Replacement in Secondary?

The New England Patriots raised more than a few eyebrows on Monday afternoon when they released cornerback Jack Jones after nearly two eventful seasons with the club. 

The timing of the move comes at a bit a a surprise, as the team is just over 24 hours removed from their 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10 from Frankfurt, Germany. It also cut Jones without compensation, rather than attempting to trade him at the deadline two weeks ago.

Jones joined the Patriots as a fourth-round pick (No. 121 overall) in the 2022 NFL Draft. Early on, he caught the eye of Patriots fans with his athletic, high-octane style of play. Though slightly undersized for the position at 5-11, 175 pounds, he became an aggressive presence on the perimeter.

In 13 games [454 defensive snaps] as a rookie, Jones compiled 30 tackles, six passes-defensed, one forced fumble, one recovery and two interceptions including a Pick 6 of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. Unfortunately, the 25-year-old landed on injured reserve late in the season due to a knee injury. He was later suspended the final two games for undisclosed reasons.

Jones’ troubles followed him into what became a tumultuous offseason. The Arizona State product faced weapons charges stemming from a June arrest at Boston's Logan Airport. Though the charges against Jones were dropped in September, his future in Foxboro began to come into question during that time. He remained away from the field for the first five games of the season after suffering a hamstring injury which required a stay on injured reserve.

Still, Jones was expected to play a notable role in the Patriots secondary — a unit which was already depleted by season-ending injuries to rookie Christian Gonzalez and second-year speedster Marcus Jones, as well as the continued ailments of veteran Jonathan Jones.

Accordingly, the question on the minds of all Patriots fans is: “Why release Jack Jones now?” Simply put, it just was not working out for him here in New England.

Since making his 2023 debut in the Pats Week 7 upset win over the Buffalo Bills, Jones had recorded only 12 tackles and one pass break-up. The troubled, yet talented corner appeared to be uncomfortable in the Pats secondary since his return, leading to issues with his engagement and work ethic. Following Jones’ struggles in the Pats' Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins — in which he was responsible for a allowing 31-yard touchdown reception — he was benched for the entire first quarter of the Pats Week 9 loss to the Washington Commanders. He finished the game having combined for just three tackles. 

Clearly unhappy with his usage in that game, Jones left Gillette Stadium before the locker room was opened to reporters — though he was active on social media in a series of interesting posts following the game's conclusion. At that time, it was learned that Jones’ demotion stemmed from his missing the team curfew the night before. Jones continued to remain disengaged from his teammates throughout their week of preparation for their matchup with the Colts. He took only 10 snaps on defense, while logging only two tackles in his final game as a Patriot. Per multiple sources — including one close to Patriots Country — Jones’ lack of improvement regarding his attitude toward the team was the final straw in their decision to part ways  

As such, Jones’ release leaves the Patriots with another failed draft pick and a degree of uncertainty in their defensive backfield. The team already facing an onslaught of questions about the status of coach Bill Belichick and the starting quarterback job, is now forced to fill what could be a significant void in their secondary.