Internet Thinks Ex-Patriots Corner Was Target Of Raiders Coach’s Threat

It sure looks like one of the few personnel decisions Bill Belichick nailed at the end of his Patriots tenure was the dismissal of cornerback Jack Jones.

Sure, Jones flashed his potential in one-plus seasons with New England. The fourth-round pick played solid coverage on the outside, highlighted by his pick-six of then-Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in his rookie season in 2022. However, the off-field issues that caused him to fall in the draft resurfaced and ultimately doomed his time with the Patriots.

An offseason arrest set the tone for a forgettable 2023 campaign that included him reportedly missing curfew in early November. Jones’ playing time dipped, and the Patriots cut ties in mid-November, as Belichick was being peppered with questions about a perceived lack of engagement from Jones.

Fast-forward nearly a year, and Jones — who quickly caught on with the Las Vegas Raiders, who claimed him on waivers — is under fire for that same lack of engagement and commitment. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce criticized his team Sunday after it fell to 1-2 with an embarrassing 36-22 home loss to the hapless Carolina Panthers.

“It’s not good enough. …On the grass, we didn’t execute, nor did we put forth, to me, the effort we put in games past,” the Raiders coach said.

He then really dug in a few moments later.

“They didn’t (show up). I think as the game went on, I don’t think it was a team — I think there were individuals who made business decisions, and we’ll make business decisions moving forward,” he said.

Once the game film came out, it didn’t take long for the internet to reach a consensus on at least one of the players Pierce was criticizing. The play, which appears to be a 10-yard carry from Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard in the fourth quarter, shows a pretty poor effort from Jones. The cornerback had an opportunity to make a play at the Raiders’ 21-yard line but backed off, opening the door for Hubbard to pick up 6 more yards.

Jones also appeared to give a less-than-ideal effort on a separate play in the middle of the field where he hardly put forth an effort to arm-tackle Panthers running back Miles Sanders. Pro Football Focus took notice, too. Jones earned a 28.1 tackling grade (on a 100 scale) for his performance Sunday against Carolina.

It has been a bumpy start to the season for Jones. He exited a Week 1 loss to the Chargers early after fighting late in the game.

Whether Pierce and the Raiders follow up with a business decision of their own that costs Jones his job remains to be seen, but he was on the Raiders roster as of Tuesday afternoon.