Jonathan Jones (American football)
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Jonathan Isaiah Jones (born September 20, 1993) is an American football cornerback for the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
of the National Football League (NFL). He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
and signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2016.


High school career

As a junior in high school 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 Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...
, 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-SEC notice 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 The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
possibly due to his lack of height, despite an impressive combine, being a top performer at the 40-yard dash and bench press.


2016

On May 1, 2016, the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
signed Jones to a three-year, $1.63 million contract as an undrafted free agent that included a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $10,000. He had a strong training camp and preseason edging out fellow undrafted rookie
Cre'Von LeBlanc Cre'Von Lashaad "Strap" LeBlanc (born July 25, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL. He played college football at Florida Atlantic. Professional career New England Patriots After going undrafted i ...
and 2015 seventh-round pick
Darryl Roberts Darryl Bevon Roberts (born 26 September 1983 in Saint Joseph, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Joseph) is a Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidadian association football, footballer who last played for Kaya F.C.–Iloilo, Kaya F.C–Iloilo and for the Trinid ...
for the final cornerback spot on the Patriots 53-man roster thanks to his special teams contributions. Jones saw his first game action in the Patriots season opener against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
and recorded a tackle. In Week 14 against the Ravens, Jones stopped a punt from entering the endzone, pinning the Ravens' offense on the 1-yard line. On the next play, defensive tackle
Malcom Brown Malcom D'Shawn Brown (born February 2, 1994) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas Longhorns football, Texas. He was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 32nd overall pick in ...
tackled Ravens' running back Kenneth Dixon in the backfield, resulting in a safety. On February 5, 2017, Jones was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, the Patriots defeated the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
by a score of 34–28 in overtime. Coming back from a 25 point deficit in the third quarter.


2017

In 2017, Jones played in all 16 regular-season games with four starts as the team's nickel cornerback and core special teamer. In Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jones intercepted Philip Rivers in the final seconds of the game to close out a 21-13 win. In the divisional round of the playoffs, Jones suffered an ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve on January 17, 2018. The Patriots still made it to Super Bowl LII, but lost 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles.


2018

In the
AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
for the 2018 season, held on January 20, 2019, the speedy Jones was utilized by the Patriots to shut down the Kansas City Chiefs' Tyreek Hill, who is also known for his speed. Jones was able to match the speed of Hill, and Hill was only targeted three times by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, finishing the game with just one catch. Jones was credited as a 'big reason why' the Patriots beat the Chiefs and secured a spot in
Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...
. The Patriots beat the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, 13–3, to give Jones his second Super Bowl championship.


2019

On March 12, 2019, the Patriots placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on March 12, 2019. On April 15, 2019, Jones re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year deal. On September 7, 2019, Jones signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension with the Patriots, keeping him under contract through the 2023 season. In week 8 against the Cleveland Browns, Jones forced a fumble off running back Nick Chubb which was recovered by teammate
Devin McCourty Devin McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is an American football safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Rutgers and was selected by the Patriots in the first round of the 2010 NFL Dra ...
in the 27-13 win.


2020

In Week 6 against the Denver Broncos, Jones recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by
Drew Lock Andrew Stephen Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round ...
during the 18–12 loss.


2021

In Week 6, Jones suffered a shoulder injury and was placed on injured reserve on October 23, 2021.


2022

Jones returned from his injury in 2022 and started 16 games after switching from slot cornerback to outside cornerback. He set career-highs with 11 passes defensed, four interceptions, and three forced fumbles, all of which led the team.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


References


External links


New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jonathan 1993 births Living people People from Carrollton, Georgia Sportspeople from the Atlanta metropolitan area Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) American football cornerbacks Auburn Tigers football players New England Patriots players