The news surrounding Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf dominated the Seattle Seahawks headlines Wednesday, which allowed another bit of interesting information to fly under the radar.
Soon-to-be free agent linebacker Ernest Jones IV underwent knee surgery shortly after the end of the 2024 season, The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reported.
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After coming to Seattle in a midseason trade with the Tennessee Titans, Jones helped solidify the Seahawks’ struggling linebacker room and spark a turnaround by the defense. It resulted in a new contract for the South Carolina product quickly rising to the top of Seattle’s offseason to-do list.
What does the news of Jones’ offseason surgery mean for him and the Seahawks? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard weighed in during his Blue 88 segment Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
Huard felt the timing of the news wasn’t ideal for Jones.
“You’re going to be missing months and probably the start of any offseason (activities), and now you put that on to teams’ radars,” Huard said. “… From a market condition standpoint, I think it’s bad news for Ernest. I think it’s good news for the Seahawks.”
Pro Football Focus has Jones as its 59th-ranked player and fifth-ranked linebacker for the 2025 free agent class. The site projects a three-year, $36 million deal for Jones.
How the free agent market for inside linebackers could play out started to become a little more clear Wednesday when the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal with All-Pro Zack Baun. PFF ranked Baun as the No. 23 overall free agent and No. 2 linebacker.
“That’s going to be the ceiling (of the inside linebacker market),” Huard said, noting that San Francisco’s Dre Greenlaw and Kansas City’s Nick Bolton would be players in the tier of linebackers after Baun.
“Maybe that (average annual value) number (for Jones) is closer to $8-9 million rather than the $14-15 million that he’s looking for,” Huard added. “So good news for Seattle. I thought bad news timing-wise (for Jones). Once again, these agents play a critical role in the market value of their guys, and I don’t think his agent did him any favors.”
Huard believes that many signs are pointing towards Jones returning to the Seahawks.
“Here’s what I know: Ernest loves being in Seattle,” Huard said. “Ernest is around Seattle. We’ve seen Ernest at the MMA fight (at Climate Pledge Arena). We’ve seen him around the facility. Ernest is here. Ernest wants to be a Seahawk.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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