ADVERTISEMENT

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Seahawks LB Ernest Jones IV debuts on NFL Top 100 list

Jones landed on the NFL's annual Top 100 players ranking after a second-team All-Pro campaign in 2025.

Watch: '26 Seahawks Offensive Question Marks w/ Sheil Kapadia | 23 mins

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones made his debut on the NFL Top 100 players list on Tuesday, checking in at No. 97 on the annual rankings that are voted on by players across the league.

NFL analyst: Seahawks struck gold by zigging when others zagged

Jones will no doubt be the first of many players on the list from the reigning Super Bowl champions. The NFL unveiled players No. 97-100 on Tuesday and will continue to trickle out its countdown throughout the summer.

ADVERTISEMENT

Jones was a second-team All-Pro this past season while serving as a key cog in Seattle’s top-ranked scoring defense and a veteran leader in the locker room. The 26-year-old linebacker finished second in the NFL with five interceptions – including an 85-yard pick-six against the Minnesota Vikings – and recorded 126 tackles, 0.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and seven pass breakups in 15 regular-season games.

Jones added 25 tackles in the Seahawks’ three postseason games, including a team-high 11 tackles and a tackle for loss in their suffocating Super Bowl triumph over the New England Patriots. He also had an interception and a forced fumble in Seattle’s divisional round playoff rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

Jones totaled 151 tackles and six interceptions across both the regular season and postseason, which made him just the third NFL player since 2000 to hit both those marks in the same season, according to Stathead. The others were Hall of Famer Ray Lewis and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Seahawks acquired Jones in an October 2024 trade with the Tennessee Titans. He then quickly emerged as a team leader in Seattle, helping spark a dramatic defensive turnaround over the second half of the season. Then after re-signed with the Seahawks on a three-year, $28.5 million deal last offseason, he delivered a 2025 All-Pro campaign that helped lift the franchise to its second Super Bowl title.

It was also the second Super Bowl title for Jones, who won a Lombardi Trophy with the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams as a rookie in 2021.

Seattle Seahawks news and more

• Hasselbeck: How Seattle Seahawks’ offense can reach next level
• Stacy Rost: ESPN’s Barnwell dives into 3 Seahawks storylines
• Salk: The Super Bowl champion Seahawks are still getting better

Cameron Van Til Seattle Sports

Cameron Van Til is a digital content editor for Seattle Sports. A Gonzaga University graduate, Cameron has previously covered sports for The Everett Herald and The Associated Press, as well as served as a Seattle Mariners correspondent for Baseball… Read more

Comments

1 Comments

T
Todd Breda 2 months ago

These Top 100 lists are almost as irrelevant as the Pro Bowl selections. Ernest has 5 interceptions as a LB never mind his other stats and you mean to tell me there were 97 other players more impactful? Please.