Jack Jones' ascent and fit with the Raiders have him set to make the leap in 2024

Following a late-season victory in 2021 in which Arizona State senior cornerback Jack Jones had a pick-six (his third career interception against in-state rival University of Arizona), ASU defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce expressed how Jones is a “guy that I’m proud of. Been around since he was 13 years old … tonight he put a stamp in the (ASU vs U of A) rivalry”

When asked about Pierce’s praise, a heartfelt Jones explained, “It means a lot, especially coming from this guy. Like I said, we’ve been around each other a long time, so he understands me. He knows how I play the game.”

Fast-forward three years.

Now a 26-year-old cornerback for the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones is exactly where he wants to be. Years of playing football in different places around the country have led him here — the 2024 NFL season. In training camp footage and interviews with the media, he comes off as comfortable and accountable and appears to be “at home” in just his first nine months as a Raider.

Maybe it’s the fresh start. Maybe it’s reuniting with old coaches (not just his high school and college coach Pierce, but also Raiders assistant head coach Marvin Lewis, who was an advisor and defensive coordinator at ASU). Maybe it’s that he personifies the words “swaggering boisterously” straight out of the Autumn Wind, an attitude that fits right in with the Raiders' culture and Pierce’s authenticity.

Whatever it is, Jones was meant to be here right now, and that sign of destiny could result in the best season of his young NFL career.

Jack Jones has always had talent and potential

In March 2022, the Miami Dolphins sent the 121st pick of the NFL Draft to Kansas City in a multi-pick blockbuster trade for superstar Tyreek Hill. A month later, the Chiefs then sent it to New England in an exchange of first-round picks.

After these two high-value trades, pick No. 121 finally found a home, and the Patriots used it to make Jack Jones from Arizona State an NFL player.

Teams playing hot potato with the pick that would give Jones a job is a real-life example of how players can really end up anywhere. It’s a crapshoot. It only further makes you appreciate that Jones ultimately ended up in Silver and Black, where he was meant to be.

His first year-and-a-half in the NFL as a Patriot saw an injury along with troubles on the field and off the field. Despite those setbacks, his raw ability to make plays was obvious. In the first five weeks of his NFL career, Pro Football Focus rated Jones the best single coverage cornerback in the NFL.

The talent has always been there. Coming out of high school in 2016, he was a 5-star recruit, ranked 19th nationally and second among cornerbacks, which culminated in the commitment to USC he announced on Snoop Dogg’s podcast.

The potential to be a top corner in the NFL has always been there, too. What’s been missing is him playing for a team that fits him (like the success he saw at ASU, an environment in which he could flourish, where head coach Herm Edwards was a career-long "players' coach," as opposed to a sterner culture at USC or New England).

The 2024 Las Vegas Raiders are the right fit for Jack Jones

He can be himself with the Raiders and, at the same time learn how to grow. That’s the important part. His two biggest supporters, Antonio Pierce and Marvin Lewis, will allow Jones to be himself because they genuinely like the person but will also push him hard so he grows into an elite NFL corner.

Earlier this summer, Lewis talked about Jones' growth, saying, "He's a very talented player, and I've had the pleasure, as I told him again, 'Jack, it's been five years now. Let's move on, let's get this moved to Step B. We're still on Step A.'"

This can be the year Jones moves to “Step B.” This can be the year he really makes his presence known around the NFL. It takes a village. If he’s blessed with a Pro Bowl honor this season, it’ll have been the effort of many people who believed in Jones inside Raiders headquarters to help elevate him.

Over the last few months of the 2023 NFL season, Patrick Graham’s defense was among the best in the league, and Jones’ personal growth will contribute to the continuation of that momentum. 

And Jones knows he plays a big role in the success of the Raiders defense. His focus on working hard is evident, as he recently said, “We keep going each week and keep stacking bricks by brick. And day by day. ... Basically, we going to build a brick wall to where, you know, it is an unbreakable force."