Player
Ernest Jones
LB · Seahawks
Ernest Jones: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
3 teams in 12 months, then 124 tackles for Seattle in 2025 — the most chaotic LB career path in the league.
TrendErnest Jones career by team-season
| Year | Team | Tkl | Ast | TFL | Sack | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAR | 29 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | LAR | 52 | 48 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 | LAR | 56 | 71 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | TEN | 19 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA | 39 | 46 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | SEA | 58 | 66 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 5 |
Combined tackles by season
| Season | Tackles + Assists |
|---|---|
| LAR R | 54 |
| LAR | 100 |
| LAR | 127 |
| TEN+SEA | 119 |
| SEA | 124 |
Drafted by the Rams (3rd round, 2021), traded to Tennessee in the 2024 preseason, then traded again from Tennessee to Seattle six weeks into the same season. Then started 17 games for Seattle in 2025 and put up his second-best year as a pro.
The through-line: 100+ combined tackles in four straight seasons despite the team chaos. Off-ball LB production doesn't depend on the scheme around him — it travels with him.
14 TFLs and 4 sacks in 2023 — the only LB to clear both thresholds that year while playing fewer than 17 games.
RareJones 2023 splash season (16 games, LAR)
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 56 |
| Assists | 71 |
| TFLs | 14 |
| Sacks | 4 |
| QB Hits | 6 |
| PDs | 6 |
| INTs | 1 |
His 2023 season was the closest thing to a peak: 14 TFLs, 4 sacks, 6 QB hits alongside 127 combined tackles. Most LBs who clear 14 TFLs are pass-rush hybrids (Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt types). Jones did it as a pure off-ball MIKE.
The Rams still let him walk in free agency the following spring. That's now a Tennessee/Seattle problem solved.
After the Seattle trade he turned into a ball hawk — 5 INTs in 2025, more than his entire career to that point.
SplitJones interceptions by season
| Year | Team | PDs | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LAR | 4 | 2 |
| 2022 | LAR | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 | LAR | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | TEN+SEA | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | SEA | 7 | 5 |
INTs per season
| Season | INTs |
|---|---|
| 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 |
| 1 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 |
From 2021-2024 he averaged 1.5 INTs/year on 4 PDs/year. In 2025 he's at 5 INTs on 7 PDs — same volume of passes broken up, but the conversion rate to picks went from 31% → 71%.
The simplest read: Mike Macdonald's scheme deploys him deeper in coverage (more hook/middle-of-field reads), and Jones is in position to catch what he used to swat down.
He's the only LB in 2025 with 100+ tackles, 5+ INTs, and 0 sacks — pure coverage profile.
Comparison2025 LB tackle leaders for context
| Player | Tkl | Ast | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordyn Brooks | 96 | 84 | 180 |
| Jack Campbell | 87 | 87 | 174 |
| Devin White | 90 | 79 | 169 |
| Cedric Gray | 94 | 67 | 161 |
| Bobby Wagner | 75 | 83 | 158 |
| Ernest Jones | 58 | 66 | 124 |
| Foye Oluokun | 68 | 74 | 142 |
Jones's 2025 tackle volume (124) is lower than Brooks (180) or Wagner (158), but only Jones combines 100+ tackles with 5+ INTs in this group. The LBs ahead of him on tackle counts have 0-2 INTs each.
The LB market overpays for tackle volume. The under-priced profile is the cover LB with ball production. Seattle has it on a 3-year, \$30M deal.
524 combined career tackles before age 27 — already on a Pro Bowl LB pace.
MilestoneJones career aggregate (2021-2025)
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Tackles | 253 |
| Assists | 271 |
| Combined | 524 |
| TFLs | 27 |
| Sacks | 4 |
| QB Hits | 14 |
| PDs | 25 |
| INTs | 11 |
524 combined career tackles through his age-26 season is on pace with the Pro-Bowl-tier off-ball LBs of his draft class. Add 11 INTs and 27 TFLs and the profile is the rare 'modern LB' three-way (run-stuff + pass-rush + cover).
The Seahawks paid him in March 2025. The call looks like one of the best LB deals of the offseason.
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