Deion Jones is headed to a new NFC South home, and this one brings his football journey full circle.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker is signing a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. With that move, Jones will have now played for all four teams in the division over the course of his NFL career - the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Buccaneers, and now the Saints.
The Saints also give Jones a return to his roots. He was born and raised in New Orleans, played high school football in the area, and stayed in Louisiana for college at LSU before making it to the NFL.
Jones spent the last two seasons in Tampa Bay, though his role on defense was fairly small. He played only 18 defensive snaps in 2024, then saw that number jump to 121 snaps last season. Pro Football Focus gave him a 41.6 overall defensive grade in 2025, and he finished with nine tackles and six assists.
His strongest run came early in his career with Atlanta. The Falcons took Jones in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and he spent his first six NFL seasons there. After that, he had stops with the Cleveland Browns and Panthers before eventually landing with the Buccaneers.
Now he’s back in the NFC South with a different kind of familiar matchup waiting. Rather than facing the Saints twice a year as a Buccaneer, Jones will get a chance to line up against his old Tampa Bay teammates in 2026.
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