The Las Vegas Raiders claimed cornerback Jack Jones off waivers, a team and league source confirmed Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The New England Patriots waived Jones on Monday. He played in just four games for the Patriots this season.
- The second-year cornerback played 13 games for the Patriots last season. He recorded six passes defended, two interceptions, one he returned for a touchdown, and one forced fumble.
- The move reunites Jones with Antonio Pierce, who coached the cornerback in high school and college.
Jones and Pierce’s relationship
Raiders added another former Patriot Tuesday, but this one is different. While former Raiders coach Josh McDaniels filled the roster with players from his days in New England, Pierce’s ties with cornerback go back even further.
The Raiders claimed Jones off waivers, reuniting him with Pierce, his former high school coach at Long Beach Poly and defensive coordinator at Arizona State. Jones was waived by the Patriots for a long line of off-field issues but New England coach Bill Belichick added when he made the move that Jones was “a talented player.”
The Raiders have had injuries at cornerback with Brandon Facyson out all season thus far and then Amik Robertson leaving the game on Sunday night. — Vic Tafur, senior Raiders writer
Backstory
Jones fell to the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft due to character concerns following his dismissal from USC and Jones’ arrest and subsequent guilty plea in college for burglary of a Panda Express restaurant.
This offseason, Jones was arrested for allegedly bringing loaded guns to Boston Logan Airport. The charges were dropped when Jones agreed to one year of pre-trial probation.
The Patriots never suspended Jones over those charges, but in recent weeks, Jones’ behavioral concerns seemed to be too much for the team to overlook. New England benched Jones for the first two drives in the Nov. 5 game against the Washington Commanders for showing up late to the team hotel before the game.
Jones was benched again for the first two drives of the team’s next game against the Colts on Sunday in Germany. After arriving back in the United States, the Patriots waived the second-year cornerback.
Required reading
(Photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
