Photo credit: Deion Jones (X)
Deion Jones is coming home. The linebacker signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The move brings the 31-year-old back to his home state after a decade-long career that has now touched every team in the NFC South.
Jones grew up in New Orleans and played college football at LSU before entering the NFL as a second-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2016. He started 83 games for the Falcons over six seasons and earned a Pro Bowl selection in just his second professional year, a season in which he recorded 138 combined tackles, one sack and three interceptions.
How Jones’s career led him through the NFC South
After his run in Atlanta, Jones spent a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns before landing with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He made three starts across 13 games that season, totaling 35 tackles, a sack and an interception. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him the following year, and he remained with the team through the 2024 and 2025 seasons, appearing in 19 games total while working primarily as a reserve linebacker and special teams contributor.
With this signing, Jones has now played for three of the four teams in the NFC South, completing an unusual path around the division before finally landing in his home state.
Where Jones fits into New Orleans’s linebacker room
The Saints currently project Kaden Elliss and Pete Werner as their starting linebackers this season. Elliss returned to New Orleans after spending three seasons with the Falcons, while Werner has remained with the team as a steady presence at the position. Second-year player Danny Stutsman has also picked up first-team reps during training camp, adding depth competition to the group.
Defensive end Chris Rumph recently moved to linebacker as well, giving the Saints another option at the position, though he left Thursday’s practice early with an ankle issue. Jones’s signing adds veteran experience to a room still working out its full depth chart heading into the season.
For Jones, the deal offers a chance to extend his career close to home, playing for the franchise that represents the city where his football journey first began.
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