The New England Patriots have seen a lot of players leave town as the winds of change have arrived with new head coach Mike Vrabel. Replacing Jerod Mayo after one season in Foxborough, Vrabel has put his stamp on his new team, using over $100 million in cap space to his advantage and bringing in the likes of Stefon Diggs, Milton Williams and Robert Spillane.
But while plenty of new faces have arrived in advance of the 2025 season, there are some players that sought greener pastures. One former Patriots defender is looking for a new start with a contender but may soon have his regrets about leaving New England.
Patriots Cornerback Jonathan Jones May Regret Leaving New England
The Patriots lost a longtime member of their secondary when cornerback Jonathan Jones signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency last month. Jones spent nine years in New England and worked his way from a special teams contributor to a starter, grabbing four interceptions and 11 pass defenses for the Patriots in 2022.
But while Jones was a success story that won a pair of Super Bowl titles, his time was coming to an end. Jones made 28 starts over his final two seasons with the Patriots, failing to grab an interception and making 13 pass defenses. While he was able to post a 75.1 grade in coverage, that number dropped to 61.1 last season according to Pro Football Focus.
Those numbers may have been enough for the Patriots to make the decision to move on, use Marcus Jones in the slot and sign Carlton Davis to play opposite Christian Gonzalez. But while it may have not been Jones’s decision, there could have been a path for him to play in New England.
Jones struggled last year to the tune of 1.25 yards allowed per coverage snap. But that was also under the guidance of Mayo, who appeared overmatched on and off the field in his first opportunity as a head coach. Former Patriots-turned-Titans Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler and Dion Lewis raved about Vrabel in a piece for the Patriots’ team website and it’s clear he could bring out more from Jones and potentially set him up for a bigger deal if he wanted to leave for next season.
“He went to the school of Bill Belichick,” Ryan said. “Learn great football, learn situational football, understand the importance of what to do in every situation, and have your team prepared. I never felt like the team on the other sideline had a better plan or that our plan wasn’t a suitable plan to win. I always felt like we had a good enough plan to win.”
Instead, Jones enters a log jam in Washington. 2024 second-round pick Mike Sainristil and midseason trade acquisition Marshon Lattimore are currently projected to start at outside corner for the Commanders but Jones’s slot role is currently occupied by Noah Igbinoghene.
The good news is that Igbinoghene is a house of cards after posting a 49.6 coverage grade last season. But can Washington head coach Dan Quinn get a better level of play from Jones? That is unknown.
Either way, it may have been easier for Jones to stay if the two sides could work things out. Instead, Jones will have to hope he wins a job as he gets acclimated to life with the Commanders.