Patrick Jones II, a Vikings pass rusher until this point in his career, has decided to take his talents elsewhere. […]
Patrick Jones II, a Vikings pass rusher until this point in his career, has decided to take his talents elsewhere.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter offers the update. Consider the word: “Source: Former Vikings DE Patrick Jones ll reached agreement on a 2-year deal worth up to $20 million with the Carolina Panthers.” The key words from Schefter are “up to $20 million,” suggesting the compensation isn’t a guarantee.
Vikings Pass Rusher Patrick Jones Going to the Panthers
The deal is reminiscent of D.J. Wonnum’s.
Last offseason, Wonnum signed a two-year deal coming in at $12,500,000 with the Panthers. Worth noting, of course, that Wonnum suffered a late-season injury with Minnesota in 2023, likely dampening the free agent market for his services.
Jones’ deal appears to mirror Wonnum’s, at least to a certain extent. The mid-round pass rushers who began their careers in Minnesota both venture over Carolina on medium-sized two-year deals.
Standing at 6’4″ and 264 pounds, Jones offers good size at edge rusher. Originally, he was operating in a 4-3 defense but then made the switch to a 3-4 defense, a background that could be appealing to Carolina.
His 2024 season was a career year, at least in terms of the most notable stats. Jones picked up 39 tackles, 7 sacks, 12 QB hits, 9 tackles for loss, and 1 forced fumble. Each of those stat totals represent a career high.
At 26, there’s potential for Jones to continue growing his game. He was drafted at No. 90 overall, sparking optimism that he could develop into a strong option for a Vikings team that had a strong track record of polishing mid-round pass rushers such as Danielle Hunter, Everson Griffen, and Brian Robison. In Minnesota, Jones was solid but not spectacular.
The deal in Carolina suggests that Jones will be leaned on to be one of the team’s top options to generate some pass-rush sizzle.
Right now, the Vikings are pretty loaded at edge rusher. Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel form a tremendous pair. The two starters give Brian Flores two very strong weapons coming off the edge.
But then there’s the cluster of soon-to-be sophomores: Dallas Turner, Gabriel Murphy, and Bo Richter. The first name is that of a 1st-Rounder; the final two are UDFA additions. Regardless, all three inspire optimism in Eagan.
Turner, in particular, is someone to keep an eye on. He picked up 300 snaps last season, resulting in 20 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 QB hits, 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, and 1 pass defended. Jones’ 459 snaps need to go somewhere and Turner seems like the best bet.
Brian Flores will be looking to improve upon last season’s 5th-ranked defense, a group that allowed an average of just 19.5 points against per game. He’ll need to do so without Patrick Jones’ help.
In his career, Jones has made less than $5 million, so he’s getting a nice raise.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on social media (Bluesky & Twitter). If you feel so inclined, subscribe to his Substack, The Vikings Gazette, for more great Vikings content.
