Oakland Raiders: Pacman Jones Would Be More Trouble Than He’s Worth

The Oakland Raiders have a pressing need at cornerback, but free agent Pacman Jones is not the solution to their secondary problems.

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The Oakland Raiders will be searching high and low for a cornerback to pair with David Amerson this offseason. While they may be looking for a corner in the draft, they’ll very likely be looking to pick up an established starter via free agency. Armed with a boatload of cash and some big names floating out there, the Raiders can make a vast upgrade to their secondary – something they desperately need if they want to make the leap to contender status.

Free agents like Janoris Jenkins and Sean Smith would seem to make the most sense for a Raiders secondary that needs an infusion of talent. They’re both young, established, and have solid track records of on the field success. One concern Raider fans should have though, is GM Reggie McKenzie‘s track record when it comes to dropping big dollars on free agents.

Which brings us to Adam Jones – a 32 year old cornerback who, according to an anonymous league source, the Raiders may be interested in bringing in to kick the tires on. Playing in Cincinnati last year, Jones didn’t have a bad season, statistically speaking, but he once again showed us all why the Raiders should stay far, far, far away from him.

With the feeding frenzy that is the start of free agency getting set to get underway, the rumors are already flying fast and furious. Not that it should surprise anybody. Every free agent set to hit the market is being connected with the Raiders – presumably, by virtue of the fact that they have the most money to spend in free agency outside of Jacksonville.

Which once again, brings us back to Jones. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

"“Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Cowboys, Raiders, Dolphins, Vikings, and Browns also are in the mix for Jones.”"

Now, rumors and speculation this time of year are running rampant and everything should be taken with a grain or two of salt. And certainly, the speculation in Florio’s article doesn’t offer up any evidence for the belief that he Raiders are interested in Jones other than a “source with knowledge of the situation”.

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Which means we should all break out the salt shakers. But it also should beg the question – why would the Raiders be interested in Jones to begin with?

The Raiders need an infusion of talent in the secondary. Of that, there is no question and can be no debate. Travis Carrie has shown flashes of ability, he’s been inconsistent at best. Keith McGill has made a few nice plays here and there, but doesn’t seem ready – or able – to be a starting corner. And D.J. Hayden – well – we all know the story with Hayden.

But Jones is not the answer to Oakland’s problems in the secondary. And it has nothing to do with his talent. At 32 years old, Jones is coming to the downside of his career. He started 14 games for the Bengals last season and notched three interceptions to go with his 62 tackles. Clearly, he can still play a little bit.

The problem with Jones though, is his volatility and poor judgment. Oh yeah, also his penchant for taking bad penalties at bad times.

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Raider fans will surely remember the game with Cincinnati last season in which Jones tore off rookie Amari Cooper‘s helmet – and then slammed his head down upon it. There was also the playoff game against the Steelers in which Jones took a bad 15 yard penalty that contributed to Cincinnati’s defeat.

Idiotic incidents like these aren’t new to Jones. Nor are they uncommon. His career is littered with examples of poor judgment. That poor judgment cost Jones a full year of his career in 2007. Though the off the field incidents have seemingly lessened over his six seasons in Cincinnati, the lack of judgment he displays on the field can be just as detrimental to a team.

For his part, Jones claims to be a changed man. In an interview recently, Jones said, “I know I lost my cool in the last game. That won’t happen again.” He went on to say though that he doesn’t think he has a discipline problem.

Which only serves to illustrate the problem. Jones is a walking discipline problem – both on the field and off. He has been for all nine years he’s been in a pro uniform. The fact that he doesn’t recognize that fact makes one wonder how sincere he is about changing his ways. After all, how can one change their ways if they don’t see that there is a problem to begin with? It’s like an alcoholic vowing to stop drinking – without ever acknowledging the fact that they have a problem to begin with.

The Raiders simply cannot afford to have Jones on the field for them. He’s a ticking time bomb and it’s only a matter of time before he blows up in their faces. It’s a matter of when and not if with Jones.

Oakland is looking to make the climb from a team on the rise to a team in contention. To do that, they’re going to need solid play out of their secondary. Certainly, they’ll need to make a big improvement over the 260 yards a game they were giving up last season.

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The Raiders need to get younger and more talented on the field. But they also need players who will buy into the culture and philosophy that McKenzie and HC Jack Del Rio are instilling into the team. They have a strong locker room, but they can’t afford the distraction that Jones would be. Nor can they afford to sign players whose judgment is as poor as Jones’.

Oakland needs a cornerback. But they don’t need a 32 year old cornerback with a long and well documented history of trouble.