Tag: Jonathan Jones

Two long-shot franchise tag candidates for Patriots

The Patriots aren’t expected to use the franchise tag, but if they did, who would they use it on?

‘Tis the season for the franchise and transition tags.

The window to put a placeholder on pending free agents starts on Tuesday, and although the New England Patriots aren’t likely to be participants in those festivities, there are a couple of long-shot options on their roster, including wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and cornerback Jonathan Jones.

Keep in mind, a franchise tag allows a particular team to keep an unrestricted free agent player under contract for another year, while continuing to work towards a long-term contract extension or possibly even a trade. Meanwhile, the transition tag gives the team a chance to match whatever offer a player gets on the free agent market to keep that player on the roster.

As for the Patriots, it’s a long-shot possibility that they would even consider either option with Meyers and Jones.

The cost for a franchise tag cost for a receiver is $19.7 million, while the price for a cornerback would be $18.1 million. As much as the team loves Meyers and Jones, they aren’t breaking the bank for them on a one-year deal. They’ll likely either agree on a new contract or watch them walk out the door.

Losing Meyers would sting considering he has been the team’s most productive receiver in recent years. Jones, on the other hand, has been a reliable defensive back with the ability to line up in the slot, along with taking challenges on the outside.

The market will ultimately decide if they’re back in a Patriots uniform or not.

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6 cornerbacks Vikings should target after Brian Flores hire

The Vikings’ new defensive scheme will need cornerbacks that can play man coverage. @TheRealForno identified six that they should target

The Minnesota Vikings have themselves a new defensive coordinator in Brian Flores.

With the hire of Flores, the Vikings have committed to another scheme change, as he runs a significantly more aggressive defense than what Ed Donatell brought in with Vic Fangio’s system.

The defense right now is one that needs a lot of work and the biggest need is at cornerback. Flores requires his corners to play a lot of man coverage and that is something that the Vikings will need to prioritize bringing in players that will be better in man coverage.

Here are six cornerbacks that the Vikings should target with projected contract numbers from Over The Cap.

Patriots CB Jonathan Jones knows where he wants to play in 2023

Pending free agent Jonathan Jones knows where he wants to play next season.

With free agency looming, Jonathan Jones is hoping to stay with the New England Patriots.

Jones has been a vital part of the New England secondary since his arrival to the organization in 2016. He had a career-year in 2022, starting in all 16 games. The Auburn product recorded four interceptions and 11 pass deflections on the season. Jones played in a career-high 894 snaps during the year.

He was extremely reliable in coverage throughout the season, giving up 47 catches on 87 targets for 547 yards.

He is just one of several free-agent choices New England has to make in the secondary. Joejuan Williams and Myles Bryant also have expiring contracts. Jones spoke about his impending free agent status during The “Next Pats” Podcast with Phil A. Perry on Friday morning.

For his part, the corner wants to remain in New England, as transcribed by Dakota Randall of NESN.com.

“I would hope so. I would hope so,” Jones said. “That’s where I’ve spent my career. It’s what I know, it’s what I love. New England is home for me in that aspect. So, we’ll see. We’ll see how free agency turns out, and we’ll take it from there.”

New England has been able to strike gold with the corner position in recent seasons. Getting Jones back into the fold could provide the Patriots with stability in the secondary for the foreseeable future.

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Two Patriots players crack PFF’s top 50 free agents

What two Patriots players cracked Pro Football Focus’ top 50 NFL free agents list?

The New England Patriots have at least two of the top 50 pending free agents in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

One of the players on that list is wideout Jakobi Meyers, who has been the best receiver for the Patriots over the last few years. The former undrafted rookie out of North Carolina State, who comes in at No. 8 on the list, put in the work and carved out a big role for himself on offense.

There aren’t a bunch of high-end receiver contracts coming due in 2023, which could drastically increase the market for Meyers’ services. It could ultimately be a situation where he prices himself out of New England.

But you can rest assured coach Bill Belichick and company will do everything they can to keep him with the Patriots. The same goes for the other player on the PFF top 50 list, veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones (No. 27).

In a year where the Patriots’ defensive backfield was devastated with injuries, Jones showed the ability to play both in the slot and on the outside against some of the best receivers in the game. His willingness to step up to the challenge and hold his own in many instances is the reason why he landed on this list.

Both players being named is a huge compliment to their undeniable talent, but it’s also a realization that the Patriots will have a fight on their hands in trying to keep them on the roster.

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Patriots 2022 season awards: MVP, most improved and rookie of the year

Here are the 2022 regular season awards for the Patriots.

A disappointing end to the New England Patriots’ season has everyone in the building ready to turn the page to 2023.

They failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, while watching their two division rivals, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, play in their stead.

Although the season didn’t go as expected due to offensive struggles and inconsistency with player performances, there were some true bright spots for the Patriots that offer at least some hope for the foreseeable future.

Here are the regular season award winners for New England in 2022.

22 pending free agents for Patriots in 2023 offseason

Here’s a list of the pending 2023 free agents for the Patriots.

It will be a crossroads for the New England Patriots in 2023 with many of their key contributors listed as pending free agents.

Things get even trickier with the team basically falling off a cliff, especially on the offensive side of the ball, in the 2022 season. They finished the year with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

The inevitable change that’s to come won’t just be with the coaching staff. This could be the year where we see some household names and legendary figures for the franchise say their goodbyes.

The good news is the team will have a lot of money to play with if they wanted to keep their current roster intact. According to Spotrac.com, the Patriots are ranked eighth in the NFL with $45,191,040 in projected 2023 cap space.

Here are the players currently listed with expiring deals in New England.

3 big takeaways from Patriots’ season-ending 35-23 loss in Buffalo

Here are 3 big takeaways from Sunday’s game against the Bills.

In a game that was far more competitive than many fans were likely expecting, the New England Patriots ended their season with a 35-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. It was an exciting game, with both offenses playing surprisingly well against each other’s sturdy defensive front.

New England quarterback Mac Jones had one of his better games of the season, going 26/40 for 243 yards and three touchdowns, but also recording three interceptions near the end of the contest. In contrast, Buffalo’s Josh Allen did not light up the stats sheet (19/31, 254 yards, three TD’s one INT), but made multiple excellent throws to keep the Bills ahead.

Ultimately, the Patriots just committed too many blunders to keep up with Buffalo’s high-powered offense.

Here are three big takeaways from the game.

Winners and losers in Patriots’ 23-21 win over Dolphins

Who were the winners and losers in the Patriots’ 23-21 win over the Dolphins?

The New England Patriots entered Sunday’s matchup against the Miami Dolphins with their backs against the wall in a must-win game.

After the embarrassing loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and then the heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals, the Patriots stood up to the division rival Dolphins and sent them packing back to South Beach empty-handed.

Once again, New England’s defense starred in the 23-21 victory with the offense stepping up and making the plays they needed to make down the stretch.

With the victory, the Patriots control their destiny for a future playoff berth. It’s surprising considering how badly the team has played at various points in the season.

And yet, when it mattered most, they still did enough to stay in the fight. Here are the winners and losers from the Week 17 victory.

Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 16, according to PFF

Here are the top 10 best defensive grades for the Patriots in Week 16.

Defense doesn’t always win championships, especially if the offense continues to get in its own way. Such has been the case for the New England Patriots this season.

Nothing changed in the Week 16 matchup with a Cincinnati Bengals team that was believed to be the hottest team in football headed into Gillette Stadium.

Yet, the Patriots defense forced three turnovers, including a pick-six, on quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ prolific offense, along with holding them scoreless for the entire second half.

Of course, none of it mattered in the end as the game ended on a fourth-quarter turnover from running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the red zone. Pro Football Focus graded all of the players on the defensive side of the ball for the Patriots in the Christmas Eve loss to Cincinnati.

Here are the top-10 graded players.

Banged-up Patriots could be incredibly short-handed vs Bengals

The Patriots could once against be shorthanded in Week 16.

The New England Patriots are heading into a make-or-break game against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve, and they could once again be shorthanded.

On Thursday, the team ruled out wide receiver DeVante Parker, cornerback Jalen Mills and long snapper Joe Cardona, while listing six other players as questionable.

The running back position remains a major concern for the Patriots with both Rhamondre Stevenson and Damien Harris listed as questionable to play on Saturday. It would be a bit of surprise to see Stevenson miss the game considering he suited up and ran for 172 yards and one touchdown in the Week 15 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

However, the biggest concern is the Patriots possibly being thin at cornerback with Jonathan Jones and Jack Jones listed as questionable. Cincinnati has one of the best receiving corps in football, and they could present a real problem for the Patriots in this game if key defensive players are missing.

There’s still a realistic path to the playoffs for the Patriots, but they’re going to need to pull off a couple of upsets down the stretch to at least give themselves a fighting chance.

And they might have to do so shorthanded.

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