Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Dolphins put $30 million of trust in Jones

BY SEAN DONOVAN

Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones' play last year suggested he was blossoming into one of the NFL's premier safeties.

Now, he's already getting paid like one.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Dolphins signed Jones to a four-year, $30 million extension with $15 million in guarantees. The deal keeps him under contract through the 2016 season.

There's little doubt that if Jones plays like he did in 2012, when he was Pro Football Focus' third-highest rated safety, he'll be worth every penny of that contract. But prior to last year, Jones spent three seasons as a below-average starter and sparingly-used backup.

The team is betting that the former fifth-round pick will build on his four-interception, one-sack performance last season.

Jones certainly thinks he'll continue developing into a top safety.

“I can only get better,” he said in July after returning to offseason programs with the promise that the team would being talking extension.

“I got the ball rolling in the right direction and I just told myself I want to be recognized as one of the premiere safeties in this league. I think last year I went out and showed that to the world and I just want to keep it going.”

If Jones can live up to his word, the Dolphins will have one of the most promising defensive cores in the league under contract for quite some time.

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