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New England Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones got out of offseason surgery on Wednesday with a clear message for fans.
“In and out like clock work! Ready to bounce back for the season,” Jones wrote in his Instagram story.
Jones also posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed. NESN’s Dakota Randall reported that Jones’ reason for surgery wasn’t disclosed.
“Unclear what it was for, but he dealt with an ankle injury early in the season, and a knee injury over the final few weeks,” Randall wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Jones missed three games last season as he posted 48 tackles and seven pass deflections. He hasn’t played a full season since 2020 after one missed game in 2022 and 11 missed games in 2021.
Undrafted in 2016, Jones won two Super Bowls with the Patriots in his first three seasons with the team. He has 378 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, 51 pass deflections, and 11 interceptions in his career.
Jones enters the final year of his two-year, $19 million contract this season.
Jonathan Jones’ Plug for Kyle Dugger Pays Off
Before the Patriots gave safety Kyle Dugger a transition tag on March 5, Jones made his case for Dugger to stay with the team.
“I mean, Dugg has been a centerpiece for us on the defense, especially since Devin [McCourty] left,” Jones said on the “Next Pats Podcast” in February. “He’s played a pivotal part on the defense, and guys like him don’t come around often.”
“He’s one of those old-school football guys that don’t mind getting out there and knocking someone out, and I’ve seen him knock out a couple of offensive linemen. So, you want a guy like that, a tone-setter on your defense,” Jones added.
Dugger had 109 tackles, two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and seven pass deflections last season. A second round pick in 2020 out of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, Dugger has 343 tackles, nine interceptions, 2.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and recoveries in his four-year career.
“Kyle is a talented player with a strong work ethic who has improved every year and been extremely productive since joining our team in 2020,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters on March 5 via Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi. “We value players with high character and chose to use the transition designation to give both sides more time to try to reach a long-term agreement, which is our goal with Kyle.”
Kyle Dugger Not Happy With Transition Tag: Report
Dugger staying with the Patriots might satisfy Jones, but the transition tag doesn’t satisfy Dugger.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, it wasn’t what Dugger wanted. Dugger desired a long-term contract, which could still happen by July — the deadline when the two sides have to agree or stick with the tag.
The Patriots will pay Dugger $13.8 million for 2024 on the transition tag. It differentiates from the better-known franchise tag, which locks in a player with his team for the years.
Transition tags only allow a team such as the Patriots to match an offer from another team in free agency. The franchise tag would have cost the Patriots $17 million in 2024.
Dugger previously had a four-year, $8.3 million rookie deal with the team.
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