The New England Patriots kicked off 2026 NFL free agency with an agreement to sign linebacker Dre’Mont Jones.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Patriots will ink Jones to a 3-year, $39 million contract.
The legal tampering period with free agents in the NFL began at 12 pm ET Monday. Jones will officially be able to sign his contract at 4 pm ET Wednesday.
The Patriots will be Jones’s fifth team in his NFL career. Last season, he split the campaign with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.
Dealt at the 2025 NFL trade deadline, Jones didn’t have a bye week because of the schedule of his two teams. In 18 games, he had seven sacks with 43 combined tackles, including seven tackles for loss and 24 quarterback hits.
Throughout his NFL career, Jones has primarily played defensive end. But over the years, he’s lined up all over NFL defensive lines and also occasionally played inside linebacker.
Patriots to Sign DE Dre’Mont Jones: Report
The Patriots were expected to make edge rusher a priority this offseason. The team is set to lose K’Lavon Chaisson in free agency. Chaisson finished second for New England in sacks last season.
Jones isn’t one of the bigger edge rusher names in 2026 NFL free agency. But just minutes into the legal tampering period, New England had already bolstered its edge rushing room.
Jones began his career as a third-round pick for the Denver Broncos in the 2019 NFL Draft. As a rookie, he mostly played defensive tackle.
By 2021, his third NFL season, Jones started playing more defensive end. In four seasons with the Broncos, he posted 22 sacks in 56 games.
Jones then spent two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023 and 2024. According to Pro Football Focus, he played more defensive tackle during his first Seattle season. He then had more snaps at defensive end in 2024.
Last season with the Titans and Ravens, Jones played more outside linebacker than anywhere else.
Although playing 18 games helped, Jones had one of his most productive NFL campaigns of his career in 2025. His seven sacks and 24 quarterback hits were a career high.
Of those sacks, 4.5 of them came in the season’s first nine games with the Titans. Then 15 of Jones’s quarterback hits happened during his nine contests with Baltimore.
Will Patriots Add Another Edge Rusher?
With Jones added early in the legal tampering period, the Patriots have addressed edge rusher. But the question still remains whether the defending AFC champions will take a bigger swing at the position.
Pundits have connected New England to some of the top edge rushers in free agency such as Odafe Oweh and Boye Mafe. It would take a mammoth contract offer, but it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Patriots signed top free agent edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
The Patriots were tied for 22nd in sacks last season with 35. Even if everyone was returning, New England would probably want to bolster its edge rushers. But again, Chaisson might not be back.
According to Spotrac, New England entered March 9 ranked 10th around the league in salary cap space with nearly $39 million to spend.
Full details of Jones’s contract have yet to be disclosed. But his average annual salary will be $13 million.
Patriots Signing Versatile Defender to $39 Million Contract: Report