Jones might be the Raiders’ next star cornerback.
In their 64-year history, the Las Vegas-Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders have had several exceptional cornerbacks, including Pro Football Hall of Famers Willie Brown, Charles Woodson, and Mike Haynes. Many others stood out on the corner for the Silver and Black, including Lester Hayes, Eric Allen, Terry McDaniel, Nnamdi Asomugha, Lionel Washington, Skip Thomas, Phillip Buchanon, Fred Williamson, Dave Grayson, Kent McCloughan, Tory James, Rod Woodson, and Albert Lewis.
Second-year Raider Jack Jones may soon be added to that list. “He’s always been a wild card,” said Raiders Interim Coach Anthonio Pierce, who coached Jones at Long Beach Poly High School in Southern California and served as his Defensive Coordinator at Arizona State.
“He’s a fantastic football player.” The child does it cheerfully. He is a huge football fan. Football is very important to Jack. To be honest, football was a method for him to get out of the hood. He put those resources to good use in his life and in the lives of his family. He went to ASU and earned a degree. He’s a decent man and a father.”
“(Pierce) is damn near a father figure for me, from high school to now,” Jones said. He’s a huge part of my life.” Jones has returned interceptions for touchdowns in the Raiders’ last two games, traveling 16 yards for a score in their 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers and 33 yards for a score in Las Vegas’ 20-14 victory against the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day. Furthermore, Jones can be abrasive; after his interception, he got into a shouting war with several Chiefs, and Pierce had to walk out onto the field to calm him down.
The New England Patriots selected Jones in the fourth round (121st overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Arizona State, where he was a first-team All-Pacific 12 Conference selection as a sophomore and honorable mention All-Pac 12 as a senior. Initially signed by USC out of high school, he flunked out as a freshman and transferred to Moorpark College in California to better his grades before transferring to ASU and starting for three seasons.
Jones started the season for the Patriots, however he suffered a hamstring injury and was placed on the Injured Reserve List. He returned to the lineup but failed to meet curfew the night before the Week 9 game and was released by the Patriots on November 13. Then he signed with the Raiders, and Pierce was a big part of that.
In addition to his two interceptions for the Raiders this season, the 5-11 180-pound Jones has 32 total tackles in nine games, including 25 solo stops and four pass breakups. The Raiders have two regular-season games left, one on New Year’s Eve against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the other on January 7 against the AFC West foe Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Jones has a chance to tie Eric Allen’s franchise record of three pass interceptions returned for touchdowns in a single season, which he set in 2000.
Jones is tied for second in the league with Grayson, Buchanon, Hayes, McDaniel, Rod Martin, Anthony Dorsett, Rod Woodson, Eddie Anderson, Erik Harris, Warren Powers, Gus Otto, Jimmy Warren, and Thomas Howard with two pick-sixes this season. Again, Jones is in fairly high company. Longtime Raider Nation fans had to be reminded of Willie Brown intercepting a pass from Fran Tarkenton and returning it 75 yards down the sideline for a touchdown in the final minutes of the Raiders’ 32-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
“Old Willie!” “He’s going all the way,” said Bill King, the Raiders’ famed play-by-play announcer, during the game’s radio broadcast. Jones is also going all the way for the Raiders.
