Former Falcons Star LB Joins Rival Saints To Complete NFC South Tour

The former Atlanta Falcons linebacker has spent virtually his entire career with different NFC South teams

The former Falcons linebacker signed on with an archrival | USA TODAY Sports

Deion Jones has achieved a rare accomplishment with his latest free agency signing.

The former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl linebacker is signing a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. 

That means the 11th-year NFL player has completed a superfecta of playing for all four NFC South teams. 

He was drafted by the Falcons in 2016 with a second-round pick and stayed in Atlanta until midway through the 2022 season. Jones played the 2023 season with the Carolina Panthers and the last two seasons, 2024 and 2025, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jones’ only time outside the NFC South was when he was traded from Atlanta to the Cleveland Browns in an in-season deal.

The move to New Orleans is a homecoming for the 31-year-old. He’s a native of the city and played collegiately at LSU, an hour and a half away from his hometown.

Jones has been quite the thorn in New Orleans. His midair, falling interception of Saints quarterback Drew Brees that sealed a 20-17 triumph in a December 2017 Thursday Night Football matchup lives in Falcon lore.

Now, Jones looks to give the team that drafted him and that he helped reach a Super Bowl similar issues. The Falcons and Saints play their divisional matchups on Oct. 5, 2026, in Week 4 and again on Jan. 3, 2027, for Week 17.

Jones has played in 128 NFL games and accumulated 492 tackles.

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