Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Ernest Jones IV, the team’s most important pending free agent, had knee surgery shortly after the regular season, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation told The Seattle Times.
The knee surgery, which was to clean up an injury Jones dealt with throughout last season, was portrayed as not overly serious and it’s thought that Jones would be ready to return to football activity as soon as June, if not earlier.
However, any team that might want to sign Jones as a free agent would likely want to put him through a physical.
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents on Monday at 9 a.m.
However, teams cannot bring in free agents for visits and physicals until after the new league year begins Wednesday at 1 p.m., which could draw out the process.
The Seahawks could re-sign Jones at any time and general manager John Schneider said at last week’s NFL scouting combine that talks with Jones were ongoing.
“We’ve had positive talks with this group ever since we traded for him, and we’ll continue that this week,” Schneider said.
Jones missed one game late in the 2023 season while still with the Rams due to what was listed as a knee injury.
He then sat out some of the Rams’ offseason program last spring as well as some of training camp with what was stated as a knee injury.
When Jones was traded by the Rams to Tennessee in late August, there was some conjecture that his knee issues were part of the reason. Jones denied that saying “we’re good, we’re playing ball, we’re ready to go’’ upon his arrival in Tennessee.
Jones said at that time that he didn’t take part in some practices at the discretion of the Rams.
“I think with the Rams, it was more so management,” he said. “That’s what I was under the impression of, so when they told me not to practice, I didn’t practice. So that was that.”
Jones did not miss a game with the Titans before being traded to Seattle in late October.
He played 100% of the snaps in all 10 games with Seattle other than missing a few in a decisive loss to Green Bay in December.
However, he was listed on the injury report as being either limited or not practicing at least once each week before each of Seattle’s last five games due to a knee issue. Jones, however, was never given a game status designation before any of those games indicating there was any question about his ability to play.
Seattle acquired Jones in a trade with Tennessee in October in exchange for linebacker Jerome Baker and a 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
The trade came in the wake of some disappointing defensive performances, especially against the run.
Jones immediately took over as the middle linebacker, starting and playing every snap in a game against Buffalo just four days after arriving.
Two weeks later, the team released Tyrel Dodson, who began the season as the middle linebacker but moved to the weakside when Jones arrived.
Dodson, though, continued to hold the responsibility of wearing the green dot helmet and relaying the defensive play calls from coach Mike Macdonald to the defense until his release.
Jones took those over when Dodson was cut, which coincided with vastly improved play from the defense. Seattle ranked fourth in the NFL in total yards allowed (304.8), going 6-2 over the last eight games. They were also fifth in points allowed (18.4) and cut down significantly in rushing yards allowed, holding four of the last seven opponents to 84 yards or fewer, all with Jones in the middle, wearing the green dot.
Jones finished with 94 tackles in 10 games for Seattle, third on the team, and had 138 overall, his third straight 100-yard tackle season.
Jones’ role in Seattle’s impressive defensive finish led to both Jones and coach Mike Macdonald stating multiple times that the team hoped to work out a contract for Jones to stay with the team for the long term.
Jones, who turned 25 in November, played last season on the final season of his four-year rookie deal, making $3.116 million.
He had hoped to sign an extension with the Rams last offseason but said later he never had talks with the team.
It was thought one reason the Rams traded him was the knowledge that they were unlikely to re-sign him after the year and deciding to get something before him before he left as a free agent.
While Jones said he hoped to stay with the Seahawks it was reported the day before the season finale against the Rams that the two sides had “paused’’ contract talks with his agents planning to let him test the market.
Jones confirmed that report when he talked to reporters following the game but also called it just part of the process and said he was confident something would work out to stay with the Seahawks.
“I’m going to be a Seahawk,’’ he said. “I firmly believe that. … I think a deal is going to come through. I definitely do.’’
During an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 last month, Schneider seemed to indicate a deal with Jones might not get done until after the negotiating period had begun.
“Obviously we want Ernest back,” Schneider said. “We’ve talked to his guys; we’ve had great communication with them, and we’re hoping we’re able to accomplish that. Some guys, at some point you can get too close to the end of the season where they want to see what free agency looks like. So, now they can go out and see what their market is, and understandably so.”
Pro Football Focus rates Jones as the 59th best free agent available and third among inside linebackers projecting he could receive a contract of three years at up to $36 million with $22.5 million guaranteed.
Jones, guard Laken Tomlinson and defensive tackle Jarran Reed are the only three of Seattle’s nine players who can become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday who ended the 2024 season as a starter with the team.