Tuesday’s interview of Bengals cornerback Adam Jones included a question about where the soon-to-be-free-agent wants to play in 2016. Here’s how he responded.
“I knew you were going to do that to me,” Jones said with a laugh. “I want to play for any team that wants me. I’m a guy that really wants to win. I love the game of football, I’m passionate about it. I study hard, I play hard. There’s not a guy that’s around that’s gonna tell you I don’t study hard, don’t practice hard, don’t play hard. I’m open, man, I don’t have one team that I have to go to this team. I’m pretty much open as long as we got a good chance of winning.”
Interest is high already; Jones admitted that tampering is happen as to him, just like it’s happening as to every other free agent.
“I know there’s a lot of other teams that have been contacting my agent saying that if I don’t get re-signed there is going to be other places I can go,” Jones said.
Per a league source, potentially interested teams include the Dolphins, Raiders, Cowboys, Browns, and Vikings. The Steelers likely aren’t interested in Jones, but he didn’t rule them out.
“I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t play for the Steelers,” Jones said. “I don’t have no problem with the Steelers but that would be hard for me to do that, though. I would prefer to play [for] a team that plays against the Steelers.”
One potential impediment to playing for the Steelers has been resolved. Jones said he has buried the hatchet with receiver Antonio Brown.
“I texted him the other day joking with him,” Jones said. “We’ve had several conversations since he had his little outburst at the Super Bowl, but there’s no hard feelings for A.B., man.”
During that outburst, Brown said he wouldn’t want Jones as a teammate. Maybe Brown has changed his mind. Regardless, it’s a long shot that Jones will end up roughly 80 miles up the road from where he played college football, at West Virginia University in Morgantown.