The Patriots have two important in-house free agents to try and retain in the coming weeks in Jakobi Meyers and Jonathan Jones.
Meyers certainly seems as if he'll hit free agency as arguably the top free-agent receiver on the market, and he and New England don't yet appear close to a new deal that would keep him in town long-term.
It looks like the same might be true for Jones.
MassLive's Mark Daniels reported Tuesday that the Patriots have been actively working toward a new deal with their best cornerback, with talks expected to continue throughout the week.
However, while the team "would ‘certainly’ like" to extend Jones before free agency's legal tampering period begins next Monday, it appears "very possible" that Jones will ultimately test the market, according to Daniels' source.
As with Meyers, the Patriots might allow Jones, who posted career-highs in interceptions (four) and passes defended (11) while bumping outside in 2022, to seek out offers and bring them back to New England for final consideration -- something the Patriots typically do with their in-house free-agents.
In theory, Jones stands a better chance of returning to the Patriots than Meyers. The diminutive but heady cornerback currently sits at No. 32 on Pro Football Focus' top-50 free agent list -- the fourth-ranked corner on the list -- while Meyers is thought of as a top-10 free agent in the class and the best receiver on the open market.
Even if his price isn't expected to reach higher than about $14 million per season, all it takes is one team to bid in that range to price him out of New England. Jones, meanwhile, might see less of a market with the likes of Jamel Dean and James Bradberry likely being higher priorities for teams.
He also might be considered more of a slot corner by other teams, as reported by NFL Media's Mike Giardi, which could dampen some of his value despite his solid play as a boundary corner last year.
Still, expect multiple teams to be interested in Jones, who allowed just a 67.1 quarterback rating and a 39 percent completion rate when targeted last season. If New England isn't careful, it could lose two of its best players by this time next week and face glaring needs at wide receiver and cornerback.