Jonathan Jones
2022 Team: New England Patriots
In the end, Flores could go back to the Patriots pipeline to sign one of his former students. Jonathan Jones joined the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and spent his first full season as a starter in 2022.
Jones’s first season on the outside was a tale of two halves as Jones had an 82.1 coverage grade that ranked sixth among qualifying cornerbacks over the first 10 weeks of the season. That number dipped to 53.9 over the final eight weeks, but Jones excelled in man coverage.
Jones ranked fourth in the NFL among qualifying corners with a 45.2 passer rating allowed and played just under 33 percent of his snaps in man coverage. With previous experience in the slot, Joseph could be another versatile piece that could play in different formations and has the experience in Flores’s defense that could make him a plug-and-play option.
At 29 years old, Jones should be able to come at a reasonable price as PFF estimates he’ll command $5.5 million per year on the open market. But even if his price is closer to Over The Cap’s value of $8.74 million, Jones should be on the Vikings’ radar.