Jonathan Jones

Jonathan Isaiah Jones (born September 20, 1993) is an American professional football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Jones has also played for the Washington Commanders.

Early life Jones grew up in Carrollton, Georgia and attended Carrollton High School where he played football and ran track. In 2011, Jones was one of the top high school hurdlers in the country. He placed third in the New Balance Nationals and then won the USA Track and Field Junior Olympics National Championship in the 110-meter hurdles.

College career Jones was a four-year starter at cornerback at Auburn, and saw his first action as a true freshman in 2012. In August 2013, Jones broke his ankle and played in only five games his sophomore season. In 2014, he earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) honors and was ninth in the nation with six interceptions and 17 passes defended, he would again earn second-team All-SEC notice during his 2015 senior year. He had 129 career tackles and seven interceptions in his four years with the Tigers.

Professional career Jones was projected to be a fourth or fifth round draft pick by NFL draft experts and analysts, but went undrafted in the 2016 NFL draft possibly due to his lack of height, despite an impressive combine, being a top performer at the 40-yard dash where he posted a 4.28 time on his first attempt and bench press.

New England Patriots 2016 On May 1, 2016, the New England Patriots signed Jones to a three–year, $1.63 million contract that included a signing bonus of $10,000 as an undrafted free agent.

Throughout training camp, he competed for a roster spot as a backup cornerback against Justin Coleman, Brock Vereen, E. J. Biggers, Cre'Von LeBlanc, V'Angelo Bentley, and Darryl Roberts. After a strong performance throughout training camp and the preseason, head coach Bill Belichick named him a backup and listed him as the fifth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Cyrus Jones, and Justin Coleman.

On September 11, 2016, Jones made his professional regular season debut in the New England Patriots' season-opener at the Arizona Cardinals, but was limited to special teams and recorded one solo tackle as they won 23–21. In Week 5, Jones earned his first snaps on defense after surpassing Justin Coleman on the depth chart. He recorded one solo tackle and had his first pass deflection during a 33–13 win at the Cleveland Browns. On December 18, 2016, Jones earned his first career start as a nickelback and set a season-high with three combined tackles (two solo), while also recovering a fumble on a muffed punt by returner Jordan Norwood during a 16–3 victory at the Denver Broncos. He finished his rookie season with a total of 14 combined tackles (ten solo), one pass deflection, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 16 games and one start.

The New England Patriots finished the 2016 NFL season first in the AFC East with a 14–2 record to earn a first-round bye. On January 14, 2017, Jones appeared in his first career playoff game, but was limited to special teams as the Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 24–16 in the Divisional Round. On January 22, 2016, Jones recorded three solo tackles in the AFC Championship Game as the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26–17. On February 5, 2017, Jones appeared in Super Bowl LI and recorded one solo tackle as the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a unprecedented 25 point comeback victory, by a score of 34–28 in overtime.

2017

He entered training camp as a slated to be a backup cornerback and competed for a primary role against Eric Rowe, Justin Coleman, Cyrus Jones, and Kenny Moore II. He was named a backup and listed as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, and Eric Rowe.

On October 29, 2017, Jones set a season-high with two pass deflections and made his first career interception on a pass by Philip Rivers to wide receiver Travis Benjamin during the final seconds of the game to secure a 21–13 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. In Week 12, Jones set a season-high with nine solo tackles, recovered a fumble, and had his first career sack on Matt Moore for a 15–yard loss as the Patriots defeated the Miami Dolphins 35–17. He finished the season with a total of 44 combined tackles (39 solo), eight pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and one sack in 16 games and four starts. The New England Patriots would advance to Super Bowl LII, but lost 41–33 to the Philadelphia Eagles.

2018 He began training camp on the PUP list after he underwent surgery for an ankle injury he sustained the previous season. On August 7, 2018, the Patriots removed him from the PUP list and placed him on the active roster. He was a possible candidate to earn a role as a backup and on special teams, but had to compete against many, including undrafted rookie J. C. Jackson. Head coach Bill Belichick named Jones a backup and listed him as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, following Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe, and Jason McCourty.

On September 30, 2018, Jones set a season-high with eight combined tackles (five solo) as the Patriots routed the Miami Dolphins 38–7. In Week 5, Jones recorded five solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and helped secure the Patriots' 38–24 victory against the Indianapolis Colts after intercepting a pass by Andrew Luck to wide receiver Zach Pascal toward the end of the fourth quarter. He appeared in all 16 games in 2018, with five starts, and finished with a total of 56 combined tackles (44 solo), seven pass deflections, three interceptions, and 1.5 sacks. On February 3, 2019, Jones started in Super Bowl LIII and recorded eight combined tackles (six solo) as the Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13–3, to give Jones his second Super Bowl championship.

2019

On March 12, 2019, the New England Patriots placed a second–round restricted free agent tender. On April 15, 2019, the New England Patriots signed Jones to a one–year, $3.09 million contract as a restricted free agent.

Throughout training camp, he competed to earn the role as the No. 2 starting cornerback against Jason McCourty and J. C. Jackson. Head coach Bill Belichick named him as a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty.

On September 8, 2019, Jones started in the New England Patriots' home-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers as a nickelback and recorded three combined tackles (two solo) and set a season-high with two pass deflections as they won 33–3. In Week 7, he set a season-high with six combined tackles (five solo) as the Patriots routed the New York Jets 33–0. The following week, he recorded six combined tackles (two solo), made one pass deflection, and forced a fumble by running back Nick Chubb which was recovered by teammate Devin McCourty in their 27–13 win against the Cleveland Browns. He was inactive for the Patriots' 24–17 win against the Buffalo Bills due to a groin injury. He finished the 2019 NFL season with a total of 53 combined tackles (38 solo), eight pass deflections, and a forced fumble in 15 games and nine starts. In Week 16, he set a new season-high with eight combined tackles (seven solo) as the Patriots lost 9–38 against the Buffalo Bills. He finished the season with a total of 74 combined tackles (60 solo), six pass deflections, and two interceptions in 16 games and seven starts.

2021 Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against J. C. Jackson and Jalen Mills following the departure of Jason McCourty and an injury to Stephon Gilmore. Head coach Bill Belichick named him a backup and listed him as the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind J. C. Jackson and Jalen Mills. On September 12, 2021, Jones appeared in the New England Patriots' home-opener against the Miami Dolphins and made one pass deflection and had his lone interception of the season on a pass by Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Albert Wilson during a 17–16 loss. In Week 4, he set a season-high with nine combined tackles (seven solo) as the Patriots lost 17–19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On October 17, 2021, Jones recorded three combined tackles (two solo) and had one pass break up before exiting during the fourth quarter of a 29–35 overtime loss against the Dallas Cowboys due to a shoulder injury. On October 23, 2021, the Patriots officially placed him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after he underwent shoulder surgery. He finished the 2021 NFL season with 20 combined tackles (15 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in six games and one start.

He was inactive for the Patriots' 38–15 victory at the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 due to an ankle injury. He received an overall grade of 85.6 from Pro Football Focus in 2022.

2023 On March 13, 2023, the New England Patriots signed Jones to a two–year, $19.00 million contract that included $13.00 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $7.50 million. He finished the season with 48 combined tackles (40 solo) and seven pass deflections in 14 games and 14 starts.

2024 On January 12, 2024, the New England Patriots announced their decision to promote inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo to head coach following the departure of Bill Belichick. Defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington chose to retain Jones and Christian Gonzalez as the starting cornerbacks to begin the season. In Week 2, he set a season-high with eight combined tackles (six solo) during a 20–23 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Entering Week 16, Jones was demoted and replaced as a starting cornerback by Alex Austin for the last three games of the season. He finished the 2024 NFL season with a total of 58 combined tackles (41 solo) and six pass deflections in 17 games and 14 starts. The Commanders placed him on injured reserve with a hamstring injury on September 17. Jones was activated on October 18, ahead of Washington's Week 7 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Philadelphia Eagles On March 19, 2026, Jones signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF FR 2016 NE 16 1 14 10 4 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 1 1 2017 NE 16 4 44 39 5 1.0 2 1 6 6.0 6 0 8 0 1 2018 NE 16 5 56 44 12 1.5 1 3 34 11.3 24 0 7 1 0 2019 NE 15 9 53 38 15 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 8 2 0 2020 NE 16 7 74 60 14 0.0 0 2 0 0.0 0 0 6 1 0 2021 NE 6 1 20 15 5 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 3 0 0 2022 NE 16 16 69 56 13 0.0 0 4 89 22.3 55 1 11 3 0 2023 NE 14 14 48 40 8 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 7 0 0 2024 NE 17 14 58 41 17 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 2 0 2025 WAS 12 7 41 30 11 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 5 0 0Career 144 78 477 373 104 3.5 5 11 129 11.7 55 1 62 10 2 Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF FR 2016 NE 3 0 4 4 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2017 NE 1 0 2 2 0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 NE 3 2 10 8 2 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 2019 NE 1 0 4 3 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0Career 8 2 20 17 3 1.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0