Less than two weeks after reportedly being disciplined for violating the Patriots’ curfew rules, cornerback Jack Jones is out of a job.
New England is waiving Jones, NFL Network Insider Mike Garafolo reported on Monday. Jones’ agent, J. Tooson, confirmed the move and released a statement regarding the matter. The Patriots subsequently announced Jones’ release Monday afternoon.
“Certainly we want to thank the Patriot organization for drafting Jack,” Tooson said. “Jack is an immense talent and looks forward to making an immediate contribution on his next team as soon as Sunday.”
Jones’ departure caps a rapid descent from promising defender to afterthought. He arrived in New England as a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft out of Arizona State and made a name for himself as a bit of a ballhawk, intercepting two passes and returning one for a touchdown during his rookie season. He appeared in 13 games (two starts) in 2022 and was seen as a useful piece in New England’s defense with plenty of potential entering 2023.
Jones’ time since, however, has been marred on and off the field.
Jones was arrested in June at Boston’s Logan Airport after two firearms were found in his carry-on luggage. Jones later agreed to serve one year of probation and 48 hours of community service in exchange for prosecutors dropping eight of the nine weapons charges. Jones reported to training camp on time and has yet to face league discipline for the incident, but he did miss the start of the season due to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve.
Jones made his 2023 debut in New England’s Week 7 win over Buffalo and played 60.6 percent of the Patriots’ total defensive snaps. His participation level started to drop, though, when Jones allegedly reported to the team hotel past curfew prior to New England’s Week 9 game against Washington, prompting head coach Bill Belichick to bench both Jones and teammate J.C. Jackson, who also reportedly violated curfew, for the start of the game.
While Jackson was not permitted to join the team for their trip overseas for New England’s Week 10 game against Indianapolis, Jones did travel with the Patriots. But as he did in Week 9, Jones spent the first quarter on the bench in Germany, seemingly disengaged from the action. He ended up playing a career-low 10 snaps, and upon returning to the United States, New England decided to part with the defensive back less than two years after drafting him.
Jones has experience with a change in scenery in his career. He began his collegiate career as a five-star recruit at USC before he was eventually dismissed from the program, leading him to a junior college stint before landing at Arizona State.
