:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65232788/1173257119.jpg.0.jpg)
Before helping his unit dominate the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend night in Foxborough, talented Patriots slot cornerback Jonathan Jones inked a three-year contract extension. On Thursday morning, The Boston Globe’s Ben Volin provided most of details regarding the contract’s structure.
Jones also has $800k in per-game roster bonus from 20-22. His cash by year and cap numbers:
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) September 12, 2019
2019: $8.8m, $2.75m
2020: $4m, $6.02m
2021: $5.1m, $7.12m
2022: $6.2m, $8.22m
Pretty strong deal for the former UDFA. Patriots see him in their plans for at least 2-3 more years
The breakdown
2019
Salary: $720,000 — fully guaranteed
Signing bonus proration: $2,018,750
Existing offseason workout bonus charge: $7,520
Cap hit: $2,746,270
2020
Salary: $3,200,000 — fully guaranteed
Signing bonus proration: $2,018,750
Per-game bonuses: $800,000 — $50,000 per game
Cap hit: $6,018,750
2021
Salary: $4,300,000
Signing bonus proration: $2,018,750
Per-game bonuses: $800,000
Cap hit: $7,118,750
2022
Salary: $5,400,000
Signing bonus proration: $2,018,750
Per-game bonuses: $800,000
Cap hit: $8,218,750
It has not yet been reported if the deal includes any incentives for items such as Super Bowl wins or Pro Bowl selections.
What it means
The extension is an ideal example of a mutually beneficial agreement between team and player. Jones — who is still one of the best kept secrets in the NFL, despite locking down Tyreek Hill in the 2018 AFC Championship Game — receives generational wealth and job security through the end of, and likely beyond, the 2020 season.
For the Patriots, the contract is just another step in their process of scouting, pro personnel development, and salary cap management. And this one was textbook.
- Identify a prospect that is undervalued but hits certain athleticism thresholds, and sign him as priority UDFA.
- Immediately put his skill set to use on special teams while developing him within their system.
- Trust in his skills and development enough to allow him to carve out a role on game days.
- Prosper from the incredible value that three years of team-controlled, cap-friendly production brings to the roster.
- Sign the player to a life-changing, but still-team-friendly extension.
- Rinse, lather, repeat.
Teams are beginning to pour cap resources into the slot corner position as 11-personnel (one running back, one tight end, and two wide receivers) has become the default package for NFL offenses. But just how team-friendly is Jones’s deal, which clocks in at a new-money APY of $6,968,333? Here are some comparable slot-corner contracts (and a couple of familiar faces) that were signed recently:
Justin Coleman, Detroit Lions
Signed: 2019, as an unrestricted free agent
4 years, $36 million with $17.9 million in practical guarantees. $9 million APY
Kenny Moore, Indianapolis Colts
Signed: 2019, in-house extension
4 years, $33.3 million with $18.25 million in practical guarantees. $8.325 million APY
Bobby McCain, Miami Dolphins
Signed: 2018, in-house extension
4 years, $27 million with $13 million in practical guarantees. $6.75 million APY
Tavon Young, Baltimore Ravens
Signed: 2019, in-house extension
3 years, $25.8 million with $13 million in practical guarantees. $8.6 million APY
The future of the Patriots’ cornerback position is looking extremely promising with their talented slot man locked up through 2022, their ace, Stephon Gilmore, inked through the 2021 season, and young guys like JC Jackson and Joejuan Williams under team control through the 2021 and 2022 seasons respectively.
While it clearly wasn’t the aim of the extension, Jones’s new deal provides the Patriots with $356,250 in 2019 salary cap space to help out with in-season expenditures. New England’s current cap space number now sits at just over $5 million.