Marcus Jones only played 17 games under Bill Belichick, but the All-Pro cornerback knows he wouldn’t be where he is in the NFL without him.
The Patriots cornerback was selected by New England in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. A strong rookie season earned Jones All-Pro honors, but his sophomore season was cut short due to a shoulder injury in Week 2 that required season-ending surgery. When he returns to the Patriots in 2024, things will look a little different with Belichick out as coach and Jerod Mayo taking over, but Jones made sure to show respect to Belichick.
“I want to give a big thanks to coach Belichick. All the stuff that he’s done for the organization and community, everything as a whole,” Jones told MassLive’s Karen Guregian on the “Eye On Foxborough” podcast. “He’s the one that ended up seeing things in me and drafting me. So that was a blessing,” Jones said.
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Even though the cornerback played just one full season with Belichick as his coach, he still learned quite a bit from the legend.
“I always prided myself in this: No complacency, but he really drives it. No matter what happens, win or lose, we’re always trying to look for — of course you won’t be perfection, in a sense — making things permanent,” Jones said. “So practicing it so much to where you don’t even have to think about it and just go out there and play and take it one step at a time. So just his presence and how he talks with film and just dissects things and tries to make it simple for people and it helps a lot. So I really appreciated it.”
Jones said his recovery from a torn labrum is going well and he’s “feeling great” and prepared to be healthy for the 2024 season. He’ll be a welcome addition to New England, as he can play offense, defense and was the NFL’s top punt returner during his rookie year.
