Longtime Patriots Jonathan Jones, Deatrich Wise reportedly sign with Commanders
Jonathan Jones won two Super Bowls with the Patriots over his nine-year tenure in New England.
Two of the longest-tenured Patriots on their roster are reportedly heading elsewhere in free agency.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Patriots veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones is signing a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders — ending a nine-year run in Foxborough.
Just hours later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. also signed a one-year contract with the Commanders worth up to $5 million.
Signed out of Auburn in 2016 as an undrafted free agent, Jones quickly became a regular contributor in New England’s secondary — winning a pair of Super Bowls and starting 71 total games.
The 31-year-old corner initially found success in New England as a tenacious slot corner before eventually moving to the outside — settling into a role as the team’s No. 2 corner behind Christian Gonzalez during the 2024 season.
During his final season in New England, Jones started 14 of 17 games — recording 58 tackles to go along with six pass breakups and a pair of forced fumbles.
While injuries slowed down Jones at times over his final seasons in New England, the veteran had several standout seasons during his extended run with the Patriots. The shifty 5-foot-9 corner excelled on the interior during New England’s final two Super Bowl runs, headlined by an eight-tackle performance against the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.
Even with his smaller frame, Jones more than held his own in 2022 as one of the team’s top boundary cornerbacks — finishing the year with career-high four interceptions, 11 passes defended, and three forced fumbles.
Despite Jones’ standing as an established leader in New England’s locker room, his role became expendable after the team opted to sign cornerback Carlton Davis to a reported three-year, $60 million contract on Monday.
Jones took to Instagram on Wednesday night to thank the Patriots and their fans.
Wise spent eight seasons in New England after getting drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Arkansas. A dependable pass-rusher over his eight seasons in New England, Wise appeared in 126 career games with the Patriots — recording 34 sacks over that stretch.
His best season with the Patriots came in 2022, when he finished with 7.5 sacks over 17 games. He won his lone Super Bowl title during his second year with the Patriots in 2018, starting five of 16 games that season while chipping in with 4.5 sacks.
With Jones and Wise heading to the NFC, only center David Andrews, linebacker Ja’whaun Bentley, and long snapper Joe Cardona remain on the current roster as the last active members of the Patriots’ last Super Bowl team from February 2019.
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