2016 NFL free agency: Who will Adam Jones sign with?
Where will Adam Jones sign in 2016 NFL free agency?
Entering his 10th season in the NFL, veteran cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down. Like a fine wine, he almost seems to be getting better with age, and he played a major role in helping the Cincinnati Bengals capture the AFC North title and a playoff berth in 2015.
Cornerback is one of the most coveted commodities in football, however, and the Bengals won’t be alone in their quest to sign Jones to a new contract this offseason. The former West Virginia Mountaineer might have his pick of the litter when it comes time to decide his plans in free agency over the coming weeks.
Vitals
Age: 32
Notable stat: has 8 career touchdowns (3 defensive; 5 return)
All-Pro teams: 1 (2014)
Pro Bowls: 1 (2015)
Contract comparison
Jones signed a three-year deal worth $5.3 million back in 2013 to play with the Bengals. He has been rock-solid in every season, never totaling less than 56 combined tackles and finishing with exactly three interceptions every year. Over that same timespan Jones also recovered three fumbles and forced two of them, further contributing to his reputation as a difference-maker capable of making big-time plays every time he steps onto a field.
His mileage in the league and history of character concerns might make some teams hesitant to give him a long-term deal, but there’s still just so much demand for high-quality cornerbacks in the NFL today that Jones should have no trouble reeling in a lucrative new deal.
Estimate: 3 years/$25 million/$11 million guaranteed
Will he stay?
Jones seems to like playing in Cincinnati, a town he’s called home for six years now. He’s reportedly very close with his teammates and seen as one of the more outspoken leaders in the locker room. The Bengals would love to have him back in 2016; it’s just a not-so-simple matter of whether they can afford to keep him.
The Bengals currently have just under $39 million in available cap space to work with. That’s not a terrible place to be in, but they do have their hands full with tough free agent decisions this spring and summer: Leon Hall, Andre Smith, Reggie Nelson, George Iloka, Mohamed Sanu, and Marvin Jones all are set to test the open market, among a host of other names on the roster. Cincinnati can’t re-sign all of them, so it’s just a matter of the team determining which players are their top priorities in the coming weeks.
If he leaves…
Popular thinking is that a reunion with the Dallas Cowboys could be in order for Jones should he decide on a change of scenery. The cornerback only spent a season in Dallas, and his short-lived tenure there was clouded with off-the-field incidents and legal trouble that ultimately resulted in his release by the team. Now that Jones has cleaned up his image a bit, the Cowboys could give him another shot.
According to a recent PFT report, Jones’ name has already been linked to a number of other teams around the NFL, including the Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, and Minnesota Vikings. All four of those teams have major questions in their secondaries (particularly the Raiders and the Dolphins), so it makes sense that Jones would pique their interests. Clearly there is already a high level of demand for him on the open market.