Ernest Jones was just like everyone else when he learned the Los Angeles Rams were going to trade him. He was shocked by the decision, getting blindsided by the news after the Rams got back from their trip to Houston on Saturday.
Jones, a team captain last year and one of the better young linebackers in football, did not expect to be traded at this point in the summer. Knowing his contract was expiring after the season, he was under the impression that he would finish out the year and leave in 2025 free agency.
The Rams had other plans, though, and decided to ship him off to Tennessee for a late-round pick swap. Jones spoke about the deal for the first time Wednesday after arriving in Nashville, sharing his side of how it happened.
“I’m just going to be completely honest, I was shocked,” Jones told reporters. “We got off the flight from Houston and I got told that I’d be traded. No bad blood. There wasn’t even any contract talks. We never even talked numbers. It was just, ‘Y’all aren’t extending me? OK, we’ll play this year out.’ So I was under the impression that I was going to finish this year in L.A. and then move on, but it happened earlier. Love my guys over there, love the team that gave me my opportunity, so it’s no hard feelings on my end.”
Interestingly, Jones said the Rams didn’t even entertain contract talks with him, never even discussing numbers for a potential extension. Les Snead indicated in the spring that the Rams would let him play out the final year of his deal but it’s telling that the two sides never even talked numbers.
As for Jones’ knee, he says it’s all good.
“Oh yeah, we’re good. We’re playing ball, man. We’re ready to go,” Jones said.
From his perspective, he feels good enough to play. It’s the Rams who were holding him out of practice in an attempt to manage his knee.
“I think with the Rams, it was more so management,” he said. “That’s what I was under the impression of, so when they told me not to practice, I didn’t practice. So that was that.”
The trade was made official on Wednesday so the Titans obviously passed Jones after taking his physical, meaning they’re not worried about his knee injury. It’s still bizarre the way this all played out so suddenly, but he’s ready to go in Tennessee and the Rams are moving forward without him.