Pre-draft Jones was considered one of the best defensive end prospects for the
2012 NFL draft.
New England Patriots 2012 Jones was selected by the
New England Patriots in the first round with the 21st overall selection. He was the highest selected player from Syracuse since defensive end
Dwight Freeney in
2002. On May 23, 2012, Jones signed a four-year contract with the Patriots. As a rookie, Jones was immediately thrust into the starting right defensive end slot for the Patriots in 2012. In Week 1 against the
Tennessee Titans, Jones strip-sacked quarterback
Jake Locker, with fellow rookie teammate
Dont'a Hightower recovering the ball and returning it for a touchdown. A week later Jones sacked
Arizona Cardinals quarterback
Kevin Kolb, forcing a fumble that was recovered by the Patriots. In Week 6 against the
Seattle Seahawks, Jones recorded two sacks on quarterback
Russell Wilson and managed to provide some good pressure on the Seahawks offensive line, forcing one fumble in that game. Jones made his sixth career sack in Week 8 against the
St. Louis Rams by dropping
Sam Bradford to the turf in
London, England. In 14 games (13 starts) of his rookie season in 2012, Jones produced 45 tackles, six sacks, five passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
2013 In a game against the
Baltimore Ravens, quarterback
Tyrod Taylor fumbled the snap and Jones recovered it in the end zone for the first touchdown of his career. Jones started all 16 games in 2013 recording 42 tackles with 11.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
2014 For the season, Jones recorded 43 tackles and six sacks in 10 games. In Week 2, against the
Minnesota Vikings, Jones recorded two sacks; he also blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown in the 30–7 victory. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game against Minnesota. On February 1, 2015, he won his first Super Bowl ring when the Patriots defeated the
Seattle Seahawks by a score of 28–24 in
Super Bowl XLIX. He had one sack and three tackles in the victory.
2015 On April 30, 2015, the Patriots picked up the option on Jones' contract. Through the first eight games, Jones racked up 9.5 sacks, including two in an October 29 win over the
Miami Dolphins on
Thursday Night Football to help the Patriots move to 7–0. Jones finished the regular season with a team-leading 12.5 sacks, a new career high, as well as his first career interception. He was ranked 48th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016. Six days before the Patriots took on the
Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, Jones was hospitalized after showing up at the Foxborough Public Safety Building in a disoriented but cooperative state. Later reports indicated that he had experienced a bad reaction to
synthetic marijuana, a legal drug under Massachusetts law. Jones still played in the following
Divisional Round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs and the
AFC Championship against the
Denver Broncos.
Arizona Cardinals On March 15, 2016, Jones was traded to the
Arizona Cardinals for
Jonathan Cooper and a
second round pick in the
2016 NFL draft.
2016 In 2016, Jones started all 16 games for the Cardinals, recording 49 tackles, 11 sacks, three passes defensed and four forced fumbles. He was also ranked 85th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
2017 On February 27, 2017, the Cardinals placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jones. On March 10, 2017, he signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the Cardinals. On December 19, 2017, he was named to his second Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors. Jones finished the season leading the league with 17.0 sacks, which set a new Cardinals' franchise record. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He was ranked 28th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 In 2018, Jones was moved to defensive end as new Cardinals head coach
Steve Wilks implemented a
4–3 defense. In Week 5, Jones recorded a sack, pass breakup, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and recovery in a 28–18 win over the
San Francisco 49ers, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with 49 tackles, 13 sacks, four passes defensed, and three forced fumbles. His 13 sacks led the team and were tied for seventh in the league.
2019 During Week 3 against the
Carolina Panthers, Jones sacked
Kyle Allen twice in the 38–20 loss. During a Week 7 27–21 road victory over the
New York Giants, he sacked rookie
Daniel Jones four times, one of which resulted in a forced fumble which he recovered. Jones was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. During Week 16 against the
Seattle Seahawks, Jones sacked Russell Wilson four times and forced a fumble on
David Moore which was recovered by teammate
Jordan Hicks during the 27–13 road victory. He earned a second NFC Defensive Player of the Week nomination for his game against Seattle. Jones finished the season with 53 tackles and set career-highs in sacks with 19, forced fumbles with eight, fumble recoveries with three, pass deflections with five. He was named to his third Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors. He was also the runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. He was ranked 15th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-2010s team.
2020 In Week 1 against the
San Francisco 49ers, Jones recorded his first and only sack of the season on
Jimmy Garoppolo during the 24–20 win. In Week 5, he suffered a torn bicep and was placed on injured reserve on October 15, 2020.
2021 In Week 1 against the
Tennessee Titans, Jones finished with five sacks as the Cardinals won 38–13. His performance tied the franchise single game sack record, and he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 11, Jones had four tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in a 23–13 win over the
Seattle Seahawks, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He finished the season second on the team with 10.5 sacks, 41 tackles, four passes defensed, and a team-leading six forced fumbles. He was named to the Pro Bowl. He was ranked 62nd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
Las Vegas Raiders 2022 On March 17, 2022, Jones signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the
Las Vegas Raiders. In Week 13, Jones had three sacks, six tackles, two tackles for loss, and a pass breakup in a 27–20 win over the Chargers, earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Against his former team, the
New England Patriots in Week 15, Jones made a
notable play at the end of regulation. As the Patriots were attempting a
lateral play to try to win the game with the score tied at 24, Jones intercepted a lateral from
Jakobi Meyers intended for
Mac Jones before stiff-arming the New England quarterback and running the ball in for the game-winning touchdown. Because Meyers' pass was a backwards pass, Jones' touchdown was ruled a fumble return instead of an interception return. The following week against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Jones suffered an elbow injury after colliding with teammate
Maxx Crosby while attempting to sack
Kenny Pickett and was carted off the field. He was later placed on injured reserve, ending his season. He finished the 2022 season with 4.5 sacks, 38 combined tackles, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries, including the 48-yard fumble return touchdown.
2023 On September 5, 2023, Jones posted on his personal
Instagram account that he no longer wanted to play for the Raiders after apparently being locked out of the Raiders' facility and was forced to work out at a local gym. When asked to comment on Jones' postings, Raiders head coach
Josh McDaniels stated Jones was dealing with a personal situation and that it was a private matter. On September 23, the Raiders placed Jones on the
non-football illness list. Following an arrest, he was released on September 30. ==Career statistics==