Controversial Former Patriot Already Getting Called Out by New Coach

Following a 36-22 loss by the Las Vegas Raiders to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce didn't hold back, claiming that "some individuals made business decisions" during the team's 14-point loss.

After reviewing the tape, it will come as little surprise to many Patriots fans which Raider might have been drawing Pierce's ire – former controversial New England corner Jack Jones. On a Panthers running play on Sunday, Jones showed zero interest in tackling Carolina running back Chuba Hubbard.

Based on Jones' lack of effort on that play and past history, it wouldn't be surprising if that is one of the plays that Pierce is alluding to when he cites "business decisions" made by his players.

It is worth noting that Pierce coached Jones at both Long Beach Polytechnic High School and Arizona State University, so the pair have quite a history given that Pierce has coached Jones at all three levels.

Jones was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2022 out of Arizona State. Jones drew the attention of Patriots fans in his first career start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 4 of the 2022 season, picking off Aaron Rodgers and returning it for a touchdown. He also recorded a forced fumble and fumble recovery in that game. That game left Pats fans excited about the prospect that he could be a key piece on the defense for years to come – an idea that never came to fruition.

Jones was arrested in June 2023 at Boston's Logan Airport when he attempted to bring two loaded guns through security. He was initially indicted on nine separate weapons charges before a plea deal dropped all weapons charges in exchange for Jones' agreement to serve a year of pretrial probation and 48 hours of community service on the other counts of an airport security violation.

Later in 2023, Jones was benched by the Patriots for the beginning of their Week 9 game after he failed to appear at the team's hotel on the night prior to the game. The following week, Jones was once again benched and "blew up" on cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino at halftime of the team's game against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. That turned out to be the final straw for Bill Belichick, as Jones was cut the following day (Nov. 13). He was claimed off waivers by the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 14. In total, he played 18 games with the Patriots.

If Jones had been able to pull his act together, it would have been fun to watch him alongside Christian Gonzalez as New England's top two corners for the foreseeable future.

Jones' off-field and character concerns go back years. He was a five-star recruit out of high school and committed to USC in 2016, but was dismissed from the team in May 2018 due to academic performance. A month later, Jones was arrested on two felony charges after breaking into a Panda Express. Those charges were eventually reduced to misdemeanors when Jones agreed to plead guilty. He served 45 days of house arrest.

After a JuCo stint, Jones returned to the Pac-12 in 2019 with Arizona State, where he spent the final three seasons of his collegiate career.

The Raiders corner made headlines earlier this season when he started a fight in the fourth quarter of Las Vegas' game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Jones was ejected following the dust-up.

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