CB Jack Jones reunites with former HS and college coach Antonio Pierce after being claimed by Raiders
X one man is another man’s treasure, and that couldn’t be more so than for former New England Patriots cornerback Jack Jones.
After playing just 10 snaps in the Patriots’ 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday, Jones was waived by New England the next day. The 2022 fourth-round pick didn’t stay on the market long, however, as the Las Vegas Raiders said Tuesday.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo broke the news about the defensive back reuniting with his former high school and college coach. Yes, you read that right. Antonio Pierce, the Raiders interim head coach, was the head coach at Long Beach Poly High School and the head coach/defensive coordinator at Arizona State.
Las Vegas just lost Amik Robertson to a concussion in their 16-12 win over the New York Jets on Sunday night, so the team was approaching a crisis for help in the defensive backfield.
The 25-year-old second-year corner gets a fresh start after off-field issues during the offseason, reportedly not being as active as the Patriots would like and seeing a decline in playing time in the past two weeks.
In June, Jones was arrested on gun charges at Logan International Airport in Boston. He tried to bring two loaded guns through TSA, and according to MassLive’s Chris Mason, the charges were dropped in September in exchange for a year of pretrial probation and 48 hours of community service.
A few weeks ago, ahead of a game against the Washington Chiefs, Jones was reportedly late at the team hotel. On the field, Jones also dealt with a strained hamstring that sidelined him for the first six games.
Bill Belichick has been asked twice in the past two weeks about Jack Jones and whether Jones has stepped up to the level the team deems appropriate. He declined both times, but as Jones’ playing time dwindled in the last two games, it was clear that Jones was slipping out of the picture.
– Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 13, 2023
Over 17 career contests, and two starts, Jones recorded 42 tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
“Jack is a talented player,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters on Tuesday. “He showed that when he played for us at times. In the end, I felt like we had to move on, but he’s a talented player.”
