Jonathan Jones doesn't want to leave New England: "It's a special place in my heart"
FOXBORO -- Jonathan Jones has spent seven seasons roaming the field for the New England defense. He'll be a free agent next week, but throughout the offseason, has made it clear that he wants to be back with the Patriots.
He echoed that stance again Wednesday afternoon in Foxboro.
"New England has been my home and I've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed my journey here. Hopefully we can continue that," Jones told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche after addressing a group of girls and mentors from Big Sister Boston.
Jones is set to be a free agent for the first time in his career when the new NFL calendar year begins on Monday. He was set to hit the market in 2019, but signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Patriots before free agency began. Now he's in line for a bigger payday, potentially in the $11-million per year range.
He's hoping that payday comes from the Patriots, the only organization he's played for in the NFL. He's grown substantially throughout his career and has been a versatile corner for the Patriots, thriving first as a slot corner before moving to the outside last year. He's won two Super Bowls along the way.
"We'll see what we can do," Jones added of his future. "I'd love to be around. I love New England, it's a special place in my heart."
Despite not knowing if he'll be wearing a Pats uniform next year, Jones was at the Patriots Hall of Fame on Wednesday for an event for International Women's Day. He spoke to a group of 100 girls and women of his journey to the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2016, and his development throughout the years with the Patriots.
But he had a much more important message for the group on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of women in male-dominated fields such as science, engineering, and pro sports.
"My mother was the backbone of the family. She was the person who made it run," Jones said to the group during his presentation. "She was the person to challenge me with my education; to make sure I graduated high school and college. She is the person who set those standards for me. Without my mother and the women in my life, I would not be who I am."
Jones is the first male ambassador for "Play Like A Girl," an organization that works to close the gender gap those male-dominated fields. "Play Like A Girl" strives to teach the transferable skills that girls gain from sports to give them a competitive edge in the classroom and, ultimately, help them make an impact in the workforce.
Jones was sporting "Play Like A Girl" themed cleats last November for the NFL's "My Cause, My Cleats" initiative, which also featured a picture of his 7-year-old daughter, Skyler. He's obviously a big role model for her, but there are many, many others.
"My daughter looks up to me, but there are so many women she looks up to in sports and in their careers," said Jones.
Jones hopes that the trend of women serving important roles in the world of sports continues.
"Here in our organization, a lot of the women who are in the media, media relations, public relations, they do so much for us and the football team," said Jones. "It's continuing to grow and we hope it continues to grow."
