The longest tenure left on the defensive side of the ball in Foxborough is moving on.
The Washington Commanders have agreed to terms with former New England Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones on a one-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Jones, 31, officially became an unrestricted free agent as the new NFL year opened Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound Auburn product held a variety of roles with the lone organization he had known since entering the league as an undrafted rookie in 2016.
Across nine regular seasons with the Patriots, Jones appeared in 132 games and made 71 starts in the secondary. Between playing gunner, nickelback, perimeter cornerback and also safety, the veteran totaled 4,927 snaps on defense and 1,405 snaps on special teams. His run brought 436 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 57 passes defensed and 11 interceptions.
Ten forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one return touchdown came along the way. And so did Super Bowl LI and LIII rings across 17 career playoff games.
Alongside All-Pro sophomore Christian Gonzalez, Jones handled 63 percent of the defensive workload for New England last campaign while appearing in every contest and starting 14. It marked the end of a two-year, $19 million pact featuring $13 million in guarantees.
He was chosen as the team’s nominee for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award in November.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III agreed to join the depth chart on a three-year contract as the league’s legal tampering period got underway on Monday.