Seahawks, Titans agree to swap LBs

Ernest Jones is heading back to the NFC West, being involved in a second trade this year. The Titans and Seahawks have a linebacker-for-linebacker swap lined up, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports.

The Seahawks are sending Jerome Baker and a fourth-round pick to the Titans for Jones, who was initially dealt from the Rams to the Titans in August. The contract-year linebacker will return to the Pacific Time Zone to finish his free agency audition. It’s a 2025 fourth, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

This marks the second Titans seller’s trade of the day, with the move coming hours after the team agreed to send DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs. This checks in as a slightly lower-profile deal, but Tennessee secured a better return for Jones compared to Hopkins. Collecting a conditional fifth-round pick for the former All-Pro receiver, the Titans now have Baker and a fourth coming back. Like Jones, Baker is in a contract year.

As the Rams informed Jones this offseason would not be extended in 2024, his camp received permission to negotiate a trade. While Jones had said he did not request a trade out of Los Angeles, the Rams agreed to one in short order. L.A. collected a fifth-round pick for Jones and a sixth. Despite the season being nearly half over, the Titans did better in their Jones return.

A former Rams starter who played a role for the Super Bowl LVI team before being highly productive from 2022-23, Jones has started five games with the Titans. He leaves Tennessee with 44 tackles (second on the team) with three TFLs and two pass deflections. Jones, who briefly teamed with UFA addition Kenneth Murray in Tennessee, led the 2023 Rams in tackles with 145 — to go with 4.5 sacks and 14 TFLs. This came after Jones teamed with Bobby Wagner as a starter in 2022.

The Seahawks had used free agency to staff their LB position, though they did not make the kind of commitment there the Titans did via their three-year Murray pact. Seattle signed Baker and Tyrel Dodson, bringing in the former as a street free agent following his Dolphins release. Baker’s second 2024 relocation will come after he started all five games he played with Seattle. Baker made 30 tackles (two for loss) and forced a fumble during his brief Seahawks stint.

Pro Football Focus has Baker and Jones ranked alongside each other among off-ball ‘backers this season, placing Baker 46th and Jones 47th. PFF rated Baker a superior coverage linebacker, though Jones was a top-15 overall option at LB in 2023. He will now have a chance to use the Seahawks as a springboard to a nice 2025 payday.

In Miami, Baker worked as a hybrid player of sorts. He showed the type of blitz acumen that has boosted the profiles of Demario Davis and Devin White. The former third-round pick notched 22.5 sacks in six Dolphins seasons, topping out at seven under Brian Flores in 2020. Baker did not assimilate as easily into Vic Fangio‘s defense last season. Still, he will now go from one ex-Raven assistant’s scheme to another by moving from Mike Macdonald‘s defense to Dennard Wilson‘s.

While Jones is tied to his third-round contract, Baker is attached to a one-year deal worth $7M. The Seahawks, however, already paid Baker a $4M roster bonus; he is due barely $1M in prorated base salary. As Baker joins Murray on a 1-5 Tennessee team, Jones will team with Dodson as a pair of contract-year LBs for a 4-3 Seattle team.