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Hey, look on the bright side, Texans fans. At least Don Jones didn’t sign with an AFC South team.
49ers signed former Texans safety-special teams standout Don Jones, team announced
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2017
Don Jones' 49ers contract is a two-year deal
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 11, 2017
After joining the Texans in October of last season, Jones performed ably on special teams, particularly as a gunner. He didn’t play much corner, so it’s fair to assume the 49ers are far more interested in what Jones can do to help them on teams than they are what he can do at defensive back. As you can see in the Niners Nation write-up announcing the signing, San Francisco will be Jones’ seventh team since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. I imagine the security of a multi-year deal was a huge draw for him.
As with A.J. Bouye and John Simon, I’m happy for Jones and his family. It would have been nice to keep a proven special teams contributor like him in Houston, but I have no problem with the Texans—if they tried to retain him—bowing out in the face of a two-year deal. It’s tough to justify going more than year-to-year for purely special teams guys absent plethora of cap space.
Best of luck to Don Jones in San Francisco.