Seahawks insider offers important context on unsigned linebacker Ernest Jones IV

Over the last two days, the Seattle Seahawks have gone from roughly $8 million dollars over the salary cap to more $36 million in the black. The organization parted ways (all figures via Spotrac) with wide receiver Tyler Lockett ($17 million), defensive end Dre’Mont Jones ($11.5 million), tackle George Fant ($3.8 million), safety Rayshawn Jenkins ($5.4 million), and defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris ($6.6 million), adding up to roughly $44 million in salary cap savings.

General manager John Schneider now has 10 potential unrestricted free agents to make decisions on. Clearly, the most notable name on the list is rangy linebacker Ernest Jones IV. He was obtained from the Tennessee Titans during the 2024 season, and made a strong impact on Mike Macdonald’s defense—especially when it came to slowing down opposing ground attacks.

Now that the Seahawks have adequate cap room, you would expect the team to re-up with the four-year pro. Keep in mind that Jones finished third on the team with 94 tackles, behind only Julian Love (106) and Devon Witherspoon (98). What makes that impressive is that Jones amassed that total in the team’s final 10 games.

Ernest Jones vs. Cardinals — Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) intercepts a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

On Wednesday afternoon, Seahawks’ writer Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via multiple sources) reported that Jones “had knee surgery shortly after the regular season.” The four-year pro, who was dealt by the Rams to the Titans before the start of the 2024 season prior to his arrival in Seattle, was part of a defense that allowed only 103.0 yards per game on the ground in the team’s final 10 contests. In Seattle’s first seven games this past season, Macdonald’s club was gouged for 146.1 rushing yards per outing.

Condotta also explained that at last week’s NFL Scouting Combine, Schneider had this to say regarding Jones and his current status. “We’ve had positive talks with this group ever since we traded for him, and we’ll continue that this week.”

It seems like just a matter of time before a deal gets done. Now that the franchise has opened up some much-needed cap room, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the productive defender ink a lucrative deal.

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