The San Francisco 49ers parted ways with a veteran cornerback after a miserable Week 7 loss to the Atlanta Falcons — the 49ers’ first defeat of the season.
“The 49ers have released veteran CB Jack Jones, who has played in 20% of their defensive snaps this season,” The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov wrote on his official X account on Wednesday.
“The 49ers released CB Jack Jones to make room on the 53-man roster for DeForest Buckner,” NBC Sports NFL reporter Matt Maiocco wrote on X.
The 49ers dropped to 6-1 after a 29-20 loss to the Falcons and made a big move on Tuesday, trading with the Colts to bring back Buckner, their 2016 1st-round pick.
“Jack Jones in coverage against the Falcons: 17 coverage snaps, 5 targets, 4 catches allowed, 39 yards allowed, 2 penalties, 99.2 passer rating when targeted, 26.7 coverage grade,” Coach Yac wrote on X. “Jack does well during training camp and preseason, but when the games count, he’s terrible.”
“BREAKING: The 49ers released CB Jack Jones after he struggled in Week 7’s loss to the Falcons,” Football Forever wrote on X.
Jack Jones: High Risk, High Reward CB
Jones had 7 interceptions in his first 3 seasons, 4 returned for touchdowns, but the Las Vegas Raiders released him in April 2025 in a move led by the new regime of former head coach Pete Carroll — who lasted just one season — along with general manager John Spytek, and minority owner Tom Brady.
“The Raiders are releasing CB Jack Jones, sources say, after Las Vegas attempted to trade him,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account in April 2025. “An intriguing option for a CB-needy team.”
Multiple Off-Field Issues for Jack Jones
At his level, Jones should be working toward a lucrative contract extension, not hoping to land a veteran minimum deal. That’s entirely his own fault.
The New England Patriots selected him in the 4th round (No. 121 overall) out of Arizona State in the 2022 NFL Draft, but they released him midway through his second season after a series of off-field issues. Jones’ former high school and college coach, Antonio Pierce, gave him another chance, and he finished 2023 with the Raiders.
“In the summer of 2023, (Jones) was arrested when loaded guns were found in his carry-on luggage at Boston Logan Airport,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed wrote in April 2025. “While charges were later dropped, the issues didn’t stop there. He missed curfew at the Patriots’ team hotel before their Week 9 contest and was released shortly after … Jones entered 2024 with high expectations but fell well short. He was a Week 1 starter but was benched in Week 4 due to a lack of effort late in a Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He started the rest of the season, but his play was wildly inconsistent. He frequently gave up big plays, took unnecessary risks and was a non-factor in run support.”
Jones’ off-field struggles date back to college, where the former 5-star recruit was thrown off the team at USC over academic issues after he led the team with 4 interceptions in 2017. He was arrested in June 2018 for burglarizing a Panda Express in Southern California and eventually served 45 days of house arrest.
Jones was also suspended for 2 of 4 games for Arizona State in 2020 during a pandemic-shortened season.
49ers Cut Veteran CB After Struggles in Loss to Falcons