It's a new era in New England, with Mike Vrabel leading the charge. As one of the league's most aggressive teams on day one of free agency, the Patriots have brought in some key players on the defensive side of the ball to right the ship after having a bottom-10 defense last season.
As Vrabel and his new staff are working on shifting the culture in Foxborough, this means that key players coached by Belichick and Mayo have been shown the door.
After the team brought in cornerback Carlton Davis on a 3-year, $60 million deal, one former Patriots defensive back's time in New England had all but ended.
On Wednesday afternoon, it officially came to an end as Jonathan Jones found a new home in the NFC East.
Jonathan Jones Signs with the Commanders in Free Agency
Jones will look to rebound off a season where he finished below average, according to PFF, finishing with a 60.7 overall grade, 117th out of 223 eligible cornerbacks.
Source: Veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones to the #Commanders on a one-year deal.
After nine years and 11 interceptions in New England, Jones heads to NFC East.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 12, 2025
Going undrafted in 2016, Jones has played all nine seasons of his career as a Patriot. A two-time Super Bowl champion with New England in 2016 and 2018, Jones was a consistent performer for the Patriots defense over 132 games played with the franchise.
Jones has 11 career interceptions, along with 10 forced fumbles and 343 tackles as a member of the Patriots. He tackles well for a smaller cornerback and provided mentorship to young star Christian Gonzalez over the past couple of years.
Given Jones' age and performance last season, Eliot Wolf felt it was best to bring in a younger corner in Carlton Davis to pair alongside Christian Gonzalez. Davis was a Super Bowl champion with the Buccaneers and has played his fair share of playoff football.
The one-year deal will allow Jones to prove that he still has some left in the tank at age 31. With all of the receiving talent in the NFC East, Jones will be put to the test on a Washington defense that finished in the bottom half in points allowed last season.
Like the Patriots, the Commanders have been aggressive this offseason as well. The team has brought in Deebo Samuel, Javon Kinlaw, and Deatrich Wise Jr., another former Patriot. One game away from the Super Bowl last season, Washington hopes Jones can bounce back in a new environment after struggling in his final year with New England.
Jones was one of the lone Patriots on the roster from the Tom Brady days. With him and Deatrich Wise heading to Washington and David Andrews being released, Ja'Whaun Bentley and Joe Cardona are the two who remain on the Patriots roster currently from the 2019-20 season.
After the frenzy of moves to start free-agency, the Patriots still have more than enough money to work with, as well as nine draft picks in April to fill more holes on the roster.
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