The Los Angeles Rams surprisingly traded linebacker Ernest Jones on Tuesday, sending him to the Tennessee Titans along with a 2026 sixth-round pick for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
The trade came two days after reports emerged that revealed the Rams would be allowing Jones to seek a trade and contract with a new team. Jones did not attend practice on Monday.
Following the initial reports, Jones posted on X that he had not requested a trade, but the post was later taken down. Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed that Jones had not requested a trade.
On Tuesday, McVay said that the decision to trade Jones was a "football decision" that "we felt was best for the football team," per Stu Jackson of Rams.com.
McVay added: "He was great for us for a few years. But we felt that this was best for our football team."
Jones has also spoken out since leaving the Rams. Jones told reporters Thursday, “I was shocked. We got off the flight from Houston and then I got told that I'd be traded. No bad blood, there wasn't even any contract talks, we never even talked numbers ... I was under the impression that I was just going to finish this year in L.A., and then move on. Love my guys over there. Love the team. They gave me my opportunity, so it’s no hard feelings on my end.”
Jones is entering the final year of his rookie contract, after the Rams drafted him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. While he thought he would finish the rest of his rookie deal with the Rams, he has instead been traded to Tennessee.
The 6-foot-2 linebacker played three full seasons with the Rams, emerging as a starter during the middle of his rookie year. Jones would help lead the Rams to a Super Bowl LVI victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that February, recording one sack in the win.
Following his successful rookie campaign, Jones played in nearly every game for the Rams over the next two seasons, recording over 100 total tackles each year. The 24-year-old set the Rams' single-season tackle record in 2023 with 145 tackles, while also putting up 4.5 sacks.
Without Jones, who was a team captain a season ago, the Rams lack experience in the middle of the field. Their defense will instead have to rely on youth on both the defensive line and linebacker group this season.
