The NFL offseason is quickly flying by as Week 4 of free agency is officially here. The Chicago Bears haven't hesitated to throw money around this offseason, handing out over $175.8 million in new contracts as of Monday, according to Spotrac.
Although they've brought in their fair share of new faces, from Grady Jarrett to Dayo Odeyingbo, the Bears also lost certain names to the open market in March. Some of those departing free agents will find success with their fresh starts, while others will struggle outside the Windy City.
When it comes to the latter category, one former Bears defender is on a clear path to failure in his new surroundings.
Former Bears CB Jaylon Jones Will Fail With Cardinals in 2025
Fourth-year cornerback Jaylon Jones is one defender who left Chicago in recent weeks. After spending three seasons with the Bears, the former undrafted free agent is heading out west after signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals on March 20.
Jones is making his way to the dessert after spending his time with the Bears as a backup CB, starting in just five of his 41 appearances to date. Although he saw plenty of defensive opportunities as a rookie, he quickly found himself pigeonholed into a special teams role, playing 475 snaps as a special teamer compared to 224 on defense in the last two seasons.
Jones also tends to fail to make the most of the limited defensive opportunities he's seen. He's allowed a 72.0% completion rate (18-of-25) across the last two seasons, giving up 156 receiving yards while only breaking up two passes. It isn't as if he's been effective on kicks and punts, either, proven by his career-low 56.1 Pro Football Focus special teams grade last season.
Even though nothing is ever guaranteed in the NFL, it's hard to imagine Jones reversing course based on how his career trajectory has gone. He likely won't amount to anything more than a special teams contributor/depth CB, meaning his time with the Cardinals won't last long if he can't outperform the competition in training camp.
The Bears won't face the Cardinals in 2025, meaning Chicago fans will have to wait before they have an in-person reunion with Jones. Based on how his outlook is shaping up, though, it remains to be seen if it'll happen while he's still with Arizona or a different team entirely.