Ernest Jones hopes to stay with Seahawks

RENTON — Ernest Jones is still a relatively young man.

Yet the 25-year-old middle linebacker is beyond his years.

In his play that’s revived the Seahawks defense. In his regard for his wife Tyra and their baby boy, Ernest V — and not wanting to move them around the country any more.

“It’s just a mental battle just for me,” Jones said Oct. 24. “We have a three-month-old son, so the whole time I’m just thinking about my son and my wife. Sitting on that plane (from Nashville to Seattle after a trade), I don’t want to put them through this again.”

He’s also already a veteran of the cold business of the NFL.

Jones’ contract is the rookie deal he got four years ago as a third-round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle inherited that in its trade with Tennessee they made in October, to fix their malfunctioning defense.

The deal that he wanted the Rams to extend this summer when they didn’t ends after Sunday, after the eliminated Seahawks (9-7) play the final game of their season at the NFC West-champion Los Angeles Rams (10-6).

He’s already said he wants to remain with the Seahawks for 2025 and beyond. Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said in late November — when it was obvious how valuable Jones already was to improving the Seahawks’ defense — he wants Jones as the team’s middle linebacker for years.

“I can tell you that we’re really excited about Ernest,” Macdonald, the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, said. “And I hope there’s an opportunity for him to be here for an extended period of time.

“He’s definitely one of our type of guys.

“We’re excited to have him. Hopefully, he’s here for a while.”

This is the week, with only a meaningless game to play in the 2024 season, to look ahead to 2025. Because it’s now 2025.

So on New Year’s Day, The News Tribune asked Jones: Have Macdonald or general manager John Schneider have given him any indication the Seahawks will indeed re-sign him in the weeks following Sunday’s game?

Jones chuckled. He dropped his head to the side.

“Yeah, I think words and all that are kind of the same. Everything is going that way,” he said before practice Wednesday.

He chopped his right hand on the podium from left to right, to pantomime things are lining up for him to sign a new Seahawks deal.

“Coaches like me. I love it here,” Jones said.

“As far as like extension or free agency, I’m just letting my agent handle it, letting the organization handle it.

“And, hopefully, we get something done so I can be around.”

Ernest Jones’ likely new deal

Jones is about to get a massive raise.

He is earning a total of $3.1 million from the Titans and the Seahawks in the final season of his contract. Seattle is paying only $1.9 million. That’s a massive bargain with what they’ve gotten from him.

He’s been Macdonald’s signal caller, run stopper and pass interceptor in a middle of defense that since he arrived has gone from one of the league’s worst to one of its best the latter half of this season.

The NFL’s top 10 highest-paid middle linebackers range from $20 million per year for Roquan Smith (Macdonald’s former Jones in Baltimore) to $10 million per season for the New York Giants’ Bobby Okereke.

Jones is younger and as accomplished as any of those top 10-paid inside linebackers. He won a Super Bowl starting for the Rams in the 2021 season. He’s likely to command up to $15 million or more per season to stay with the Seahawks. That would be a 5x increase from his 2024 salary.

This week, Macdonald reiterated the Seahawks want to do what it takes to keep Jones in Seattle, and his wife and baby from moving again.

“We love him. He’s a great player. And there’s a poise to how he operates, which I respect.” the 37-year-old head coach and linebacker guru said. “I think the guy loves football. Those are the guys that do really well here.

“He would do great in a lot of organizations, probably every organization. But I think he’s a great fit here. We love him, and I think he loves it here, too.

“It’s been great so far.”