Chandler Jones

Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots in the first round with the 21st overall selection.[9] He was the highest selected player from Syracuse since defensive end Dwight Freeney in 2002. On May 23, 2012, Jones signed a four-year contract with the Patriots.[10]

As a rookie, Jones was immediately thrust into the starting right defensive end slot for the Patriots in 2012. In Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, Jones strip-sacked quarterback Jake Locker, which was subsequently recovered by fellow rookie teammate Dont'a Hightower, who returned it for a touchdown.[11] A week later, Jones had another sack, which caused a fumble and a recovery for the Patriots, against Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb.[12]

In Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, Jones recorded two sacks on quarterback Russell Wilson and managed to provide some good pressure on the Seahawks offensive line, forcing one fumble in that game.[13] Jones made his sixth career sack in Week 8 against the St. Louis Rams by dropping Sam Bradford to the turf in London, England.[14] In 14 games (13 starts) of his rookie season in 2012, Jones produced 45 tackles, 6 sacks, 5 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles.[15]

In a game against the Baltimore Ravens, quarterback Tyrod Taylor fumbled the snap and Jones recovered it in the end zone for the first touchdown of his career.[16] Jones started all 16 games in 2013 recording 42 tackles with 11.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.[17]

For the season, Jones recorded 43 tackles and 6 sacks in 10 games.[18] In Week 2, Jones recorded 2 sacks; he also blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown.[19] On February 1, 2015, he won his first Super Bowl ring when the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX.[20] In the waning seconds of the game, Jones and then-teammate Jonathan Casillas provided the New England coaching team with the ceremonial Gatorade shower.

On April 30, 2015, the Patriots picked up the option on Jones' contract.[21] Through the first eight games, Jones racked up 9.5 sacks, including two in an October 29 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday Night Football to help the Patriots move to 7-0. Jones would finish the regular season with a team-leading 12.5 sacks, a new career high, as well as his first career interception. He was ranked 48th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[22]

Six days before the Patriots took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, Jones was hospitalized after showing up at the Foxborough Public Safety Building in a disoriented but cooperative state. Later reports indicated that he had experienced a bad reaction to synthetic marijuana, a legal drug under Massachusetts law. Jones would still play in the following Divisional Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs and the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.[23]

On March 15, 2016, Jones was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.[24] In 2016, Jones started all 16 games for the Cardinals, recording 49 tackles, 11 sacks, three passes defensed and four forced fumbles.[25] He was also ranked 85th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[26]

Jones in 2017

On February 27, 2017, the Cardinals placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jones.[27] On March 10, 2017, he signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the Cardinals.[28] On December 19, 2017, he was named to his second Pro Bowl.[29] Jones finished the season leading the league with 17.0 sacks, which set a new Cardinals' franchise record.[30] He was ranked 28th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[31]

In 2018, Jones was moved to defensive end as new Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks implemented a 4-3 defense.[32] In Week 5, Jones recorded a sack, pass breakup, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and recovery in a 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[33] He finished the season with 49 tackles, 13 sacks, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. His 13 sacks led the team and were tied for seventh in the league.[34][35]

During Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, Jones sacked Kyle Allen twice in the 38-20 loss.[36] During a Week 7 27–21 road victory over the New York Giants, he sacked rookie Daniel Jones four times, one of which resulted in a forced fumble which he recovered.[37] Jones was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.[38] During Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, Jones sacked Russell Wilson four times and forced a fumble on David Moore which was recovered by teammate Jordan Hicks during the 27–13 road victory.[39]

Jones finished the season with 53 tackles and set career-highs in sacks with 19, forced fumbles with eight, fumble recoveries with three, pass deflections with five. He was also the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year.

In Week 1 against the San Francisco 49ers, Jones recorded his first sack of the season on Jimmy Garoppolo during the 24–20 win.[40] In Week 5, he suffered a torn bicep and was placed on injured reserve on October 15, 2020.[41]