In Pursuit of Encore, Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Knows Super Bowl Title ‘Isn't Going to Help Us’ in 2026

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Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13) reacts after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images [/caption]

You can pinpoint a handful of impact moves that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider made in the few years leading up to winning the Super Bowl that helped the team get there. Moves like hiring head coach Mike Macdonald are obvious. Trading for, and then re-signing defensive tackle Leonard Williams was a big part of it as well.

‍But it’s hard to argue against one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle coming in the form of the midseason trade for Ernest Jones IV in 2024. In Macdonald’s first season in Seattle, the linebacker position was a revolving door. The Seahawks began the season with Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson as their main off-ball linebackers. By November, Seattle had wavied Dodson and traded Baker away.

Seattle moved on from both, with Baker being sent with a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans to acquire Jones. Seattle was very familiar with Jones from his three seasons with the Rams. During his rookie year, he played on the 2021 Rams team that eventually won Super Bowl LVI. He was not a spectator on the sidelines for that game either, racking up seven tackles, one sack, and three quarterback hits.

As we all saw during the Seahawks’ Super Bowl ring ceremony, Jones was flexing both rings on the same hand. He now has two championships to his name in his five-year career. His arrival in 2024 helped stabilize the linebacker position and contributed to a noticeable defensive turnaround midseason for Seattle. The unit improved from near the bottom of NFL rankings to one of the stronger groups by season’s end, laying groundwork for the success they would have in 2025.

Jones re-signed with Seattle in March 2025 on a three-year, $33 million deal, one of the smartest moves the organization has ever made. He was the only Seahawks defender to cross the 100-tackle threshold in the regular season last season. What shocked most was his five interceptions, which led all linebackers. Only safety Kevin Byard have more picks in all the NFL. Then he hauled in another interception during the blowout win in the NFC Divisional Round against the 49ers. He did all that despite tragically losing his father just before the season kicked off. He used it as emotional motivation throughout the season.

Beyond stats, Jones emerged as a vocal leader and the de facto “quarterback of the defense.” That was certainly on display after Seattle’s tough loss to the Rams in Week 11. Sam Darnold had just thrown four interceptions and the Seahawks lost in L.A. by two. Jones took to the podium and came to the fierce defense of his quarterback, despite being a defensive player who could have been justifiably upset at Darnold for his four turnovers putting Seattle’s defense in a bad spot.

Instead, Jones famously said, “For him to sit there and say, 'Oh, that's my fault,' no, it's not. There were plays that defensively we could have made, there were opportunities where we could have got better stops. It's football, man. He's our quarterback, we've got his back, and if you've got anything to say, quite frankly, f--- you."

The Seahawks never lost a single game after that, winning 10 games in a row on their way to the Super Bowl title.

Jones’ high football IQ, tackling range, playmaking in the passing game, and ability to swarm to the ball fit perfectly into Macdonald’s system. Now, in heading into his second full season in Seattle, he is getting the respect league-wide he deserves.

The annual NFL Top 100 put Jones on the list for the first time, slotting him at No. 97. They stated “Jones provided a fiery presence for the Super Bowl champions. Now a two-time Super Bowl winner (his first coming with the Rams), Jones was Seattle's leading tackler in the regular season and playoffs. Perhaps most impressively, the backer led the squad in interceptions with six total, including the postseason. Jones is making his NFL Top 100 debut and is the first member of the reigning Super Bowl champs on the 2026 list. Spoiler alert: He won't be the last.”

Jones knows the Seahawks can’t rest on their laurels. As he knows from his time with the Rams, defending a Super Bowl title is extremely difficult. During minicamp last week, he said  “I just think the mindset, it’s kind of different. The first time [with the Rams in 2022], we were trying to defend it. This time, [last year] really doesn’t matter. … Last year is not going to help us. We’ve gotta go out and do it again and do what we did and establish ourselves early and keep that going.”

Mike Macdonald has been using the phrase “run it forward,” which is a play off of the common phrase in today’s sports jargon of “run it back,” which typically means trying to do the same thing we previously did with the same squad. This Seahawks team is thinking ahead, not looking back.

The 2025 Second Team All-Pro Jones seems to be bought into that mentality. That will serve him well, perhaps into his best NFL season yet as one of the true impact leaders on this Super Bowl-defending squad.