Chandler Jones

Early years

Jones attended Union-Endicott High School. He was a 2007 SuperPrep All-Northeast and PrepStar All-East Region selection. Jones was ranked as the eighth-best prospect of the state of New York by Scout.com.

College career

As a junior at Syracuse in 2011, Jones played in only seven games due to injury, but still was an All-Big East selection after recording 39 tackles and 4.5 sacks.

On December 30, 2011, Jones announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2012 NFL Draft.

2012 NFL Draft

Jones was considered one of the best defensive end prospects for the 2012 NFL Draft.

On April 26, 2012, Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots with the 21st pick of the first round. He was the highest selected player from Syracuse since defensive end Dwight Freeney in 2002.

New England Patriots

On May 23, 2012, Jones signed a four-year contract with the Patriots.

2012 season

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, which was subsequently recovered by fellow rookie teammate Dont'a Hightower, who returned it for a touchdown. A week later, Jones had another sack, which caused a fumble and a recovery for the Patriots, against Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb.

In Week 6 against the Seattle Seahawks, Jones recorded two sacks of quarterback Russell Wilson and managed to provide some good pressure on the Seahawks offensive line, forcing one fumble in that game. Jones received 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, 6 sacks, 5 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles.

2013 season

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 season

For the season, Jones recorded 43 tackles and 6 sacks in 10 games. In week 2 Jones recorded 2 sacks; he also blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown. On February 1, 2015, he won his first Super Bowl ring when the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX. In the waning seconds of the match, Jones and then-teammate Jonathan Casillas provided the New England coaching team with the ceremonial Gatorade shower.

2015 season

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 Oct. 29 win over the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night to help the Patriots move to 7-0. Jones would finish 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 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

Six days before the Patriots took on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Playoffs, 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 would still play in the following Divisional Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs and the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 15, 2016, Jones was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. 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.

On February 27, 2017, the Cardinals placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jones. On March 10, 2017, Jones signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the Cardinals.

Personal life

Jones' eldest brother, Arthur, played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts and is currently a free agent, while his other older brother Jon is an American mixed martial artist for the UFC.