South Carolina football alum traded again ahead of NFL deadline

The NFL trade deadline is approaching the first week of November, and moves have been plentiful. On Wednesday, a South Carolina football alum was among the player movement. According to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, star linebacker Ernest Jones is on the move again. Jones, who was traded from the Los Angeles Rams to the Tennessee Titans this offseason, is heading from the Tennessee Titans to the Seattle Seahawks.

According to Pelissero’s report, the Titans will receive a 4th-round pick and fellow linebacker Jerome Baker. The compensation beats what Tennessee gave up for Jones in August. Back then, a pick swap (a fifth-rounder for a sixth-rounder) was all it took to acquire the stud linebacker. The trade was a net positive for Tennessee and will be viewed as one for Seattle if Jones can help lead them to the playoffs.

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Jones is one of the most underrated linebackers in football. He was last season’s biggest Pro Bowl snub as he broke the Rams franchise’s all-time record for single-season tackles. Even more impressively, he compiled his 145 stops a year ago in just 15 total games. Back in 2021, a rookie Ernest Jones was among the best performers in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI victory.

Jones has been good again this year, but his adjustment to a new team and the Titans’ poor record have limited his production. Even so, without him, the Rams have been one of the league’s worst defenses.

Two weeks ago, Ernest Jones was named the NFLPA’s Week 6 Community MVP for his efforts in Hurricane Helene relief. The fourth-year linebacker provided free food for over 400 residents affected by the devastating storm in Waycross, Georgia, his hometown.

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Following this trade with the Seahawks, Jones will join a real playoff contender. Seattle leads the NFC West by one game, a far cry from the Titans’ 3.5-game deficit in the AFC South.

Given the quick turnaround, it is unlikely that he will play on Sunday. If that is the case, his first game will be against the Rams. The Seahawks also will face off with LA in the regular season finale. When he is ready to go, Jones likely will slide into the starting spot Baker vacated. Seattle is on pace for its first playoff appearance since 2022 after missing the postseason last year.

During his South Carolina football career, Ernest Jones was one of the best linebackers ever to wear garnet and black. The Peach State native earned his way from 3-star recruit to All-SEC contributor and Gamecock captain. He was a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and has been a primary starter his whole professional career.

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