Marcus Jones will not reach free agency upon the upcoming conclusion of his rookie pact. The cornerback/punt returner has agreed to a Patriots extension. 
Jones has a three-year deal in place to remain in New England, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. Financial terms are not yet known. It is nevertheless safe to assume a raise is in store for Jones, who is now on the books through 2028. The team has now announced the news.
A third-round pick in 2022, Jones entered the league with experience on offense and defense in addition to his strong showings in the return game. He has not been a factor as a receiver with New England, but the 27-year-old has taken on a larger workload with each passing season as a corner. Jones has been on the field for three-quarters of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in 2025 as a standout slot contributor. That can be expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
Jones notched double-digit pass deflections for the first time in 2024, and with nine so far this season he is comfortably on track to set a new career high in that regard. The Houston product has added a pair of interceptions and his first sack in 2025. In terms of coverage, Jones has surrendered a completion percentage of 61.1% and a passer rating of 81 so far; both of those marks are the best since his rookie season.
Special teams allowed for Jones to make an immediate impact in the NFL. He led the league in total and average punt return yards, earning first-team All-Pro acclaim along the way. This season, Jones already has one touchdown on 10 returns. He is once again topping the NFL with an average of 21.6 yards per runback. Especially if he can continue to serve as a standout figure in the third phase, this extension will be one the Patriots feel comfortable with.
The cornerback market as a whole has experienced surges in recent years, but the main beneficiaries of that trend has been perimeter cover men. Slot corners – a label which will no doubt remain accurate for the 5-8, 188-pound Jones throughout the remainder of his career – by contrast have not seen as much in the way of upward movement. Kyler Gordon moved the bar to $13.33MM in terms of average annual compensation for slot corners this offseason, so it will be interesting to see how Jones compares with this pact.
The Patriots already have one notable CB contract on the books in the form of free agent addition Carlton Davis. He is attached to an $18MM-per-year pact through 2027. Meanwhile, Christian Gonzalez will be eligible for an extension as soon as this coming offseason. The 2024 second-team All-Pro will be in line for a monster accord if he continues to perform as one of the top young corners in the league and a foundational member of New England’s defense. If/when Gonzalez has his second contract in hand, he will join other figures in the Patriots’ secondary attached to notable deals.
YAS!!!