THE JONES FILE
Two-time All-Big East, 2010, 2011
PFWA All-Rookie Team, 2012
NFL 2010’s All-Decade Team
Butkus Award, 2019
Two-time All-Pro, 2017, 2019
Super Bowl champion, XLIX
By Lenn Robbins
Chandler Jones isn’t just joining a new team in 2022. He’s taking on a slightly different role.
The elite pass rusher has been his team’s dominant quarterback hunter in his first 10 seasons in the league – four with the Patriots and six with the Cardinals. But in joining the Raiders, Jones gets to be as a primary rusher as he will be a complement to 24-year-old Maxx Cosby.
Which is just fine with the 32-year-old Jones.
“He’s already been pushing me,” said Jones. “It’s insane almost to this point. Where I am at this point in my career, going into my 11th season. There’s been a few times in this camp now where he’s running to the next drill and I’m kinda like ‘I gotta run faster. Look at Maxx, he’s already over there.’ He’s younger than me, but he’s pushing me in that sense already. . . I get giddy even talking about him. He’s probably out there waiting for me right now, that’s my boy.”
Tell you who was hoping he was no longer Jones’ boy – quarterback Russell Wilson. While Wilson was with the Seahawks, Jones sacked him 16.5 times. The only other player with more sacks on one QB is the Saints Cam Jordan who has taken down Matt Ryan 23 times.
Ryan escaped Jordan when he was traded to the Colts. Wilson might have thought he had escaped Jones when he was traded to the Broncos. And then Jones signed with Las Vegas.
Jones will be wearing the silver and black for the first time. He probably hasn’t sacked Wilson for the last time – primary rusher or not.