Contract details, salary cap breakdown for DL Justin Jones

A look at the details of the new three-year contract the Arizona Cardinals are giving DL Justin Jones.

During a whirlwind of action on the first day of the NFL free agent negotiation period Monday, there were close to 100 players league-wide that agreed to terms on contracts to either change teams or stay where they were.

The unofficial count on Day 1 was 59 players changing teams and 36 agreeing to re-sign.

One that found a new team was defensive lineman Justin Jones, who left the Chicago Bears and agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.

Here are the details of the deal.

DL Justin Jones contract details

Initial reporting had the contract worth $30.1 million with $19.75 million guaranteed.

The deal is actually worth a total of $31.165 million and includes $24.75 million fully guaranteed at signing with another $2.5 million guaranteed for injury.

Jones will be paid a $9.75 million signing bonus and the yearly salaries are $3 million this year, $7 million in 2025 and $7.5 million in 2026. The first two years of salaries are fully guaranteed along with $5 million of the 2026 salary. The remaining $2.5 million of salary as noted above is currently guaranteed for injury and will become fully guaranteed if Jones is on the roster on the fifth day of the 2026 league year.

He is also due non-guaranteed roster bonuses of $1.5 million on the fifth day of the 2025 and 2026 league years.

The contract includes $15,000 per-game roster bonuses for a total of $255,000 in each of the three years as well as $50,000 offseason workout bonuses each year.

Salary cap implications

The salary-cap charges are $6.555 million in 2024, $12.055 million in 2025 and $12.555 million in 2026.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Former Bears DT Justin Jones to sign 3-year deal with Arizona Cardinals

According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, Justin Jones is leaving the Bears to sign a three-year deal with the Cardinals.

One of the Chicago Bears best free agents has found a new home. According to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, defensive tackle Justin Jones is signing a three-year deal worth $30.1 million and $19.75 million guaranteed.

It’s a hefty raise for Jones, who joined the Bears in 2022 on a two-year deal worth $12 million after coming into the league with the Los Angeles Chargers. He outperformed his contract and was the most consistent defensive lineman during that stretch. Jones tallied 7.5 sacks, 101 total tackles (22 for a loss), 24 QB hits, and four pass breakups in 34 starts. He was named a captain for half of the 2022 season following the trade of Roquan Smith.

The loss of Jones only adds to the Bears’ needs on the defensive line. They’re in the market for an edge rusher and now need an additional defensive tackle to go along with Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, and Zacch Pickens. There are still quality options available, and they could also look at the draft to find someone. Regardless, Jones was productive in Chicago during his two years, and his departure creates a vacancy. Fans will see him again soon enough, though. The Bears and Cardinals are scheduled to meet in 2024.

Cardinals make 2nd DL addition, getting Justin Jones on 3-year deal

Jones has played over 700 snaps in each of the last seasons for the Bears, starting all 34 games. He had 4.5 sacks and 17 QB hits in 2023.

The Arizona Cardinals have another addition to their defensive line in free agency. The latest is former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Justin Jones.

According to FOX Sports’ Peter Schrager, Jones is getting a three-year contract with the Cardinals worth $30.1 million with $19.75 million guaranteed.

This comes on the heels of the Cardinals agreeing to a three-year, $21 million deal with former Raiders defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.

Jones will turn 28 years old in August. He is listed at 6-foot-3 and 309 pounds.

In 2023 for the Bears, he started all 17 games and had 49 total tackles, 10 for loss, 4.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits and four tipped passes. He had a sack and three total pressures when the Bears played the Cardinals last season.

In two seasons with Chicago, he played every game and played over 700 snaps.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Key things to know about Chargers’ Week 8 opponent: Bears

Here are some important things to know about the Bears ahead of the Week 8 matchup with the Chargers.

The Chargers will host the Bears on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 5:25 p.m. PT.

To get you prepped for the Week 8 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

Tyson time

Ahead of the season, the NFL slotted this game with the thought that it would be Justin Fields vs. Justin Herbert in primetime. However, Fields will be out with a dislocated right thumb. The Bears will turn to undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd, Tyson Bagent. Bagent made his NFL debut last weekend in Chicago’s win over the Raiders. He completed 21 of 29 pass attempts for 162 yards and a touchdown while adding 24 yards on the ground.

Deadly weapon

The Bears aren’t a team that’s going to pose a huge threat through the air. But if they resort to it, they’re more than likely going to look to their top target, D.J. Moore. Moore, who was acquired by Chicago this past offseason, has the third-most touchdowns (5) and the fifth-most receiving yards (636). Furthermore, he is averaging 15.9 yards per reception.

One of the most efficient rushing offenses

The Bears have the fifth-best rushing offense, with an average of 141.3 yards per game. In the last four games, they’re averaging a whopping 171.0 YPG, which marks the most in the NFL in that span. Veteran D’Onta Foreman has been paving the way while they’ve been without Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson, who are dealing with an ankle injury and concussion, respectively.

Defense is clicking

The Bears defense is coming together at the right time after being one of the worst groups to start the season. In the past three weeks, Chicago is top three in defensive EPA (21.99), yards per carry (2.5), interceptions (4), yards per attempt (6.1) and third-down percentage (29.4). They are a week removed from limiting Raiders running back Josh Jacobs to his second-lowest rushing games of the season with 35 yards.

Look out for…

Jaylon Johnson. Bland, the fourth-year player, is one of the best cover corners in the league. Johnson has the second-lowest passer rating among all cornerbacks in the league entering Week 8 (24.7). He had two interceptions on Sunday against the Raiders, including a pick-6.

Chicago Bears stock exchange: Who’s up, who’s down after Week 1?

Let’s take a look at whose Bears stock is on the rise and whose is falling after Week 1.

Week 1 is thankfully in the rearview mirror for the Chicago Bears and their fans, but the fallout from their disappointing 38-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers continues throughout the week. Analysts and experts continue to pick apart the team’s performance, player effort, and overall execution. Week 2 can’t get here fast enough to give this group a chance at redemption.

As the Bears return to practice to prepare for their trip down to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they’ll do so with these players in the spotlight whose stocks may be rising and falling. Some of them shined in their first action of the season last week, while quite a few fell flat.

Here is the first iteration of the Chicago Bears Stock Exchange for the regular season.

3 key matchups to watch as Bears battle the Packers in Week 1

The Bears will look to get the upper hand in three key matchups against the Packers in Week 1.

The Chicago Bears kick off the 2023 NFL season by hosting their long-time rival Green Bay Packers Sunday at Soldier Field, and both teams are looking drastically different than they have in year’s past.

Chicago now boasts a star wide receiver in DJ Moore, a scary running back group and tenacious linebacker unit. The Packers, on the other hand, have turned over the offense to former first-round pick Jordan Love, who now carries the fanbase’s expectation of being the next great Green Bay quarterback.

The two teams both have strengths and weaknesses that the opposing squad can exploit, so let’s discuss those matchups that will inevitably come into play on Sunday. Here are three key matchups to watch for in Week 1.

Justin Jones gave hilarious scouting report of new Bears OL Dan Feeney

Meet new Bears OL Dan Feeney: “Loves football. And he loves beer.”

The Chicago Bears made a trade with the Miami Dolphins for offensive lineman Dan Feeney, shoring up a depth concern along the interior offensive line, in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round pick.

Defensive tackle Justin Jones, who was teammates with Feeney for several seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, gave a hilarious scouting report of Feeney.

“Loves football. And he loves beer.”

Tight end Cole Kmet later chimed in: “I can confirm the latter for sure.”

If you remember a few years ago, Feeney was spotted with his New York Jets teammates chugging a beer at a New York Islanders playoff game. The television cameras captured the moment in all of its glory — beer, mullet and all.

Seems to track with Jones’ scouting report.

Now to the football part. Head coach Matt Eberflus is excited about what Feeney brings in terms of versatility. Feeney has appeared in 96 games, with 64 starts, in his six-year career, where he’s played center, left guard and right guard.

“The position flex is obviously something that we coveted there to be an inside piece there for us in games, and the experience,” Eberflus said. “There’s a known and an unknown factor to playing a rookie and there’s also a known factor to playing a veteran. You’ve got tape, you’ve seen him play, you know what he can do up at this level, so that’s what it is.”

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8 Bears players to watch in preseason finale vs. Bills

Here are eight players we’ll be watching for when the Bears take on the Bills in Saturday’s preseason finale.

Just as quickly as it started, the 2023 NFL preseason finale is already here for the Chicago Bears, meaning the regular season isn’t far away. The Bears take on the Buffalo Bills on Saturday at noon CT at Soldier Field in a game that will serve as a tune-up for both teams.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that the starters on offense and defense who are healthy will see action, including Justin Fields. Head coach Sean McDermott of the Bills is doing the same with his team before giving way to the reserves.

Saturday’s contest will be the final chance for many players to make their case for why they deserve a spot on the final roster. But it’s also an opportunity to see the starters get game action since most of them sat out last week’s preseason game against the Colts. Here are eight players to keep an eye on when the Bears and Bills kick off.

Bears DT Justin Jones: Justin Fields, DJ Moore connection is ‘going to be scary’

How is the Bears offense different this year? It’s the 1-2 punch of Justin Fields and DJ Moore, says Justin Jones.

The Bears appear to have something special with the tandem of quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver DJ Moore, whose connection has been quick and natural since Chicago traded for Moore earlier this offseason.

When asked about how the offense looks different now compared to last year, Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones didn’t hesitate when he mentioned the 1-2 punch that’s been the talk of camp.

“One and two,” Jones told reporters Monday. “Justin Fields and DJ Moore, yeah, that’s different. That’s really different.”

Fields and Moore have been making plays on a daily basis during training camp, which has given the defense fits at times. It’s a connection that Jones believes is going to be “scary” this season.

“There’s been some really nice passes, some really nice balls that drop right into his hands,” Jones said. “…But yeah, there’s been some really nice passes that DJ caught that make you scratch your head and be like, ‘I don’t know how you even got that through there or how you made that catch.’ But they have a really, really good connection. I think that’s really going to be scary this season coming up.”

After emerging as arguably the NFL’s best running quarterback last season, Fields needs to make a leap in the passing game. The addition of Moore should help immensely, and we’re already seeing his impact during the early practices of training camp.

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Where Bears’ Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter rank among defensive tackles in Madden 24

See the ratings that Bears defensive tackles Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter and others notched in Madden 24.

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The Chicago Bears had arguably the league’s worst defensive line last season, where there’s been some overhauling specifically along the interior.

EA Sports has started releasing Madden 24 ratings, continuing with defensive tackles. Veterans Justin Jones and Andrew Billings led the way for the Bears. Jones earned a 74 rating (31st) and Bills notched a 72 rating (41st).

Jones was easily the best defensive lineman this season, and he provided consistency to Chicago’s weakest position group. Poles praised Jones as one of the most consistent playmakers along the defensive front this season, where he led the team in tackles for loss and was second in QB hits.

Billings was signed in free agency to shore up the defensive line. He’s a dominant run stuffer who should immediately upgrade what was one of the NFL’s worst run defenses last season.

Elsewhere, Chicago’s rookie defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens received their ratings. Dexter landed a 68 with Pickens earning a 67. Dexter and Pickens will serve as important rotational pieces along the defensive line, even thought they might not start immediately, as rookies.

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