It’s been a chaotic four-day span for Jack Jones.
The cornerback played in the New England Patriots’ 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in Frankfurt, Germany.
By Monday, he was waived by the Patriots upon the team’s return to the United States.
By Tuesday, he was claimed by the Las Vegas Raiders.
And on Wednesday, he was in Vegas, attempting to explain the emotional roller coaster, admitting he was hurt by his release and has plenty of inspiration going forward.
As for his exit and fall from grace in Boston, he didn’t go into too much detail, but believes he just didn’t mesh well with the Patriots.
“I would say it wasn’t the best fit,” Jones said, via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. “I can’t really speak too much about it, just because I’m not on the coaching staff. I can’t call it. Just wasn’t the best fit, but I’m glad to be here.”
Jones joins a Raiders secondary that’s ranked eighth against the pass. He called it “elite” and professed his desire to “help out” wherever he could “fit in.”
He fit in well with the Patriots as a rookie in 2022, but in 2023 things went south and his release didn’t leave him unscathed.
“That was the team that drafted me, that gave me an opportunity,” Jones said. “When you get drafted, it’s your mindset you’re going to spend the next four years there, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. I’m blessed to be here now.”
Though the Patriots are still the only team Jones has played for in his short one-plus-year NFL career, he’s very familiar with his new head coach, Antonio Pierce. The Raiders’ current interim coach was Jones’ head coach in high school at Long Beach Poly and an assistant at Arizona State when Jones played there.
Pierce appreciates Jones’ ability to make plays on the ball and believes he’ll add depth and competition at the back end. He’s also clearly emotionally invested in the 25-year-old.
“Kid’s been through a lot,” Pierce told reporters Wednesday. “I’ve known him since he’s very young, obviously. It’s been documented. I’ve seen the growth, the development. Nobody’s perfect. I don’t expect to be perfect. That’s my job, as well, to bring him along and our staff and our organization to help him if he needs be. The football player’s extremely gifted and I expect him to do such when he gets here.”
Jones started 13 games as a rookie, nabbing a pair of interceptions, returning one for a touchdown and compiling 30 tackles.
However, his play floundered this year, as he played in five of the Patriots 10 games, drew zero starts and a 46.6 overall grade from PFF.
Most concerning were Jones’ off-field issues.
In June, he was arrested at Logan Airport in Boston after two firearms were found in his carry-on luggage. Jones agreed to serve a year of probation and 48 hours of community service in a plea deal in which eight of nine weapons charges were dropped.
Jones and fellow cornerback J.C. Jackson were benched to begin the Patriots’ Week 9 game after reportedly returning to the team hotel after curfew. Jones was also benched at at the start of the team’s Week 10 game against the Colts.
His release came a day after the Germany loss to the Colts and now he’s looking to turn things around with the Silver and Black. He’s clearly found a support system with Pierce and built up plenty of motivation along the way.
“I kind of feel like I’ve got something to prove without going out of my way trying to prove it,” Jones said. “I just want to show everybody I’m a good player and not just somebody you could just shoo away.”
If he’s active, Jones’ debut with the Raiders (5-5) will come Sunday versus a very familiar foe, as the Patriots already played the Miami Dolphins (6-3) twice this year.
