Not long after reaching an agreement with Grady Jarrett, the Atlanta Falcons have locked up another key piece of their young defensive core. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Falcons have agreed to a four-year, $57 million contract with linebacker Deion Jones. This deal keeps Jones in town through the 2023 season.
Falcons are signing LB Deion Jones a four-year, $57 million extension, including $34 million guaranteed, @RosenhausSports tells ESPN. Jones is now tied to the Falcons through the 2023 season.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 17, 2019
Atlanta Falcons Sign Deion Jones to Four-Year Extension
Jones only played in six games in 2018, but the LSU product remained an impactful player when active. During his time on the field, Jones recorded 53 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one sack, and two interceptions. His extended absence was a big reason the Falcons defense was one of the worst units in football throughout the 2018 campaign.
Deion Jones initially entered the NFL as a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Selected out of LSU, Jones started 13 games as a rookie while appearing in two others. Jones demonstrated an impressive ability to play the run and the pass, as evidenced by his three interceptions, one forced fumble, 106 tackles, and four tackles-for-loss. He started in Atlanta’s 34-28 Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots and forced a LeGarrette Blount fumble early in the second quarter.
Jones began to establish himself as one of the best young linebackers in football during the 2017 season. Starting and appearing in all 16 games, Jones recorded three interceptions, 10 passes defended, one sack, 138 combined tackles, and 10 tackles-for-loss. He earned the first Pro Bowl nomination of his career and added on another nine tackles in the playoffs for good measure.
This move comes two days after the Falcons agreed to a four-year, $68 million contract with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Jarrett was scheduled to play the season on the franchise tag but agreed to a deal hours before he would have been locked into the tag. The Falcons clearly didn’t want to go through this experience again and locked up yet another key piece of their defense.
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