Rams Trade Star Linebacker Ernest Jones to AFC Squad

Jones was not at practice Monday.

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams are reportedly trading linebacker Ernest Jones to the Tennessee Titans, per Jordan Schultz. The Rams are trading Jones and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Tennessee for a 2026 fifth-round pick.

BREAKING: The #Rams are trading LB Ernest Jones to the #Titans, per multiple sources.

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 27, 2024

Jones will be traded days after initial reports came out that revealed the Rams were allowing Jones to seek a trade and contract with other teams. After those reports, Jones posted in a since-deleted tweet that he had not requested a trade.

The 24-year-old linebacker was not at practice on Monday.

Rams head coach Sean McVay said Monday, “We never said that he requested a trade,” per The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue.

Jones had been seeking an extension with the team heading into a contract year, but the two sides had been unable to agree on a deal at this point.

The fourth-year linebacker was the Rams' third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Jones earned a starting spot on the Rams' defense during the middle of his rookie season, and helped the Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Jones notched seven tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection in the Super Bowl win, and 61 total tackles, one sack, four pass deflections, and two interceptions during his rookie season.

Jones returned as a starting linebacker in 11 of the Rams' games in 2022, racking up 114 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections. He was named a team captain and started all 15 games he appeared in last season, recording 145 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and six pass deflections.

The trade comes amid the emergence of undrafted free agent rookie Omar Speights, who general manager Les Snead said Saturday didn't play in their final preseason game because he had already made the roster. The Rams also have Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, and Jacob Hummel at the position.

Still, the Rams are certainly lacking a proven difference-maker at the linebacker position. They hold upside at the position, but Jones was easily the best linebacker on the team this offseason. With the trade of Jones and retirement of Aaron Donald this offseason, there will be even more pressure on the team's young front-seven and defensive line to perform.

Jones now joins a Titans team that is in the middle of a rebuild under new head coach Brian Callahan and second-year GM Ran Carthon. The Titans went 6-11 last season.

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