Seattle, WA

New Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Would ‘Love to Be in Seattle’ For Long Haul

Published

1 year ago

October 24, 2024

New Seahawks LB Ernest Jones Would ‘Love to Be in Seattle’ For Long Haul

RENTON, Wash. – Being traded during the middle of a season in the NFL comes with plenty of complications. Players have to quickly hitch a flight to begin practicing with their new team and rapidly begin learning a new playbook to ready themselves to play as soon as possible.

But away from obvious job related tasks, as new Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV has now had to experience twice in less than two months, getting traded puts a tremendous amount of stress on the player’s family. That’s especially true for the 24-year old defender and his wife Tyra, welcomed their first child Ernest V before the start of the season and before the Los Angeles Rams initially traded him to the Tennessee Titans in late August, adding another challenge to the equation.

While uprooting his family for the second time in a matter of months has been a mental battle for Jones this week, however, this latest move has the blessing of his wife. Happy to be back in the NFC West playing on the “good side” after playing in Seattle numerous times with the Rams, he’s eager to show what he can do after the Seahawks traded for him on Wednesday with hopes of receiving a lucrative extension and making the Pacific Northwest his long-term home.

“I love to be in Seattle,” Jones told reporters in his introductory press conference prior to Thursday’s practice. “My wife’s happy. She’s back into where there’s a little city vibe, so she’s happy. I’m good and I’m going to do whatever I can to be on this team for the long haul if that’s where they see me and fitting in. From there, we work out everything else.”

In many ways, Jones’ latest change of scenery comes with unexpected perks for an abrupt midseason trade. Aside from joining a Seattle squad currently in first place in the NFC West and in the hunt to win a division title, he expects his transition on the field should be a smooth one playing for coach Mike Macdonald, whose scheme has carry over from the system he played in at Tennessee for defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, who worked on Baltimore’s staff with Macdonald last season.

Per Macdonald on Wednesday, Jones will take over as the Seahawks new middle linebacker, while veteran Tyrel Dodson will slide to the weakside linebacker spot left vacant by the departure of Jerome Baker, who was sent to the Titans along with a 2025 fourth-round pick as part of the trade.

In addition, in an instance rarely ever seen in the NFL, Jones will be playing against the same opponent for the second consecutive week, as the Titans lost to the Bills last weekend in his final game with the team and the Seahawks will now host the Bills at Lumen Field on Sunday. While his new team will have some differences in game planning that he will have to adjust to, such circumstances should ease the learning curve having already faced off against Josh Allen and company less than a week ago.

If anything, Macdonald may have the benefit of picking Jones’ brain to help enhance Seattle’s game plan based on what worked well for Tennessee last week, making it a potential win-win for all parties.

“I think it definitely helps with the transition,” Jones remarked. “You got a good idea of what they’re going to come out there and do. You just played them a couple of days ago, so you’re familiar with them. They’re also familiar with you. So correct some wrongs that I had in that game and then go out there and help this team win.”

Now in his fourth season, Jones relishes the chance to take the mantle from future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner in the middle. Having learned from the perennial All-Pro when they played together in Los Angeles in 2022, he wants to not only live up to the standard his former teammate set during his 11 seasons starring in the Pacific Northwest, but he wants to “surpass it” as the new face in the middle for the Seahawks.

Such lofty goals may seem unfathomable given Wagner’s status as one of the best players of his era, but Jones has already proven himself as one of the NFL’s best young linebackers. After eclipsing 100 tackles for the first time while playing alongside Wagner two years ago, he enjoyed a career year with the Rams in 2023, racking up 145 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 33 pressures, 14 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed, helping guide the team back to the playoffs while stuffing the stat sheet.

Though his overall numbers have been down in comparison this season with the Titans, Jones still produced 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a pair of passes defensed in six games before learning he had been traded again on Wednesday, playing an integral role in the team currently ranking sixth in rushing yards allowed and fourth in yards per carry allowed through Week 7.

A reliable tackler who can make plays sideline to sideline defending the run while also offering elite blitzing skills as a pass rusher, the Seahawks will be counting on Jones to have a similar impact for their defense, which has struggled mightily stopping opposing run games most of this season. During a three-game losing streak from Week 4 to Week 6, they allowed north of 170 rushing yards per game, with Macdonald citing poor run fits from the second level and missed tackles as the primary culprits for those results.

Based on his prior record, Jones should be able to immediately help with both of those issues. Per Pro Football Focus, he only has missed three tackles in the first six games this season and posted a 7.5 percent missed tackle rate last year, which ranked 13th out of 59 qualified off-ball linebackers. He also earned an elite 90.0 run defense grade, fifth-best at his position.

Confident in his ability between the lines and his presence in the locker room, Jones has wasted little time diving into a new playbook in a new city, excited for the opportunity to prove his worth once again in the heat of a playoff race. With his midseason audition set to kick off on Sunday and much at stake for his family’s future, he’s ready to put everything on the line to help the Seahawks push for a division title and secure a long-term home in the process.

“I’m a dog. That’s what you’re getting. Getting a dog, getting somebody that’s a leader, a true leader. I’m going to go out there each and every week, put my body on the line for my teammates, for this organization, and my family.”

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Seattle, WA

Seahawks Will Host Rams Or 49ers In Divisional Round

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Seahawks Will Host Rams Or 49ers In Divisional Round

The Seahawks will host an NFC West opponent in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Whether that opponent is the Rams or the 49ers will be determined on Sunday when the 49ers play the Eagles in Philadelphia. Also still to be determined is the date and time of the game.

The Rams, who are the No. 5 seed, beat the Panthers on Saturday to advance, and since Seattle, as the No. 1 seed, hosts the lowest-seeded team that advances out of the wild card round, the sixth-seeded 49ers would come to Lumen Field if they win on Sunday. If the Eagles win, however, the Rams would come to Seattle, while the Eagles would head to Chicago to face the Bears, who beat the Packers on Saturday night.

The Seahawks split the season series with both teams, losing to the 49ers in Week 1 and the Rams in Week 11 before beating the Rams in Week 16 and the 49ers in Week 18 as part of a seven-game winning streak that helped them win the NFC West and earn the No. 1 seed.

Next weekend’s game at Lumen Field will be the Seahawks’ first home playoff game with fans in the stadium—they hosted a wild card game in an empty stadium following the 2020 regular season—since they beat the Lions in the wild card round during the 2016 season. Prior to that empty-stadium loss to the Rams five years ago, the Seahawks won 10 consecutive home playoff games dating back to the start of their Super Bowl run in 2005. The Seahawks have reached the Super Bowl in each of the three previous seasons that they earned the No. 1 seed.

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Seattle, WA

Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and the Seattle Sounders return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Paul Arriola, Pedro de la Vega and the Seattle Sounders return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Forgotten. Absent. Inconsistently healthy. Weights of expectation.

These heroes offered glimpses and scenes of their greatness in 2025.

Paul Arriola, X Man

Paul Arriola gave us a glimpse of his former greatness before his injury. Once a DP, once the highest value transfer within MLS, once recruited to skip MLS entirely for what was at the time a much better league, Arriola’s all comps contributions per 90 would compare to wingback style players Jordi Alba and the now-gone Ali Ahmed.

Arriola slides right in that space, with his 0.57. Now, a discerning reader such as yourself will imagine small sample sizes and opponent quality. You would be correct. But Paul also put up similar numbers in MLS in 2018, 2021 and 2022. His time in MLS as a whole is .40/90 (in the realm of last season’s Christian Espinoza).

Defining Arriola’s role is always going to be hard. He’s played as many wide roles as exist in the modern game. With Seattle, he could be a left or right winger in a four-front if they choose to run a 3-2-4-1, or a wingback in a 3-4-2-1 or a conventional winger in a 4-2-3-1. No matter his role, he’s been strong. His calls to the US National Team ran every year from age 20-27, when he put up better numbers there than he did in league play. He’s now 30.

Pedro de la Vega, the injury saga

Sounders fans know how bright Pedro can burn. So do, Lanus fans, Argentina fans, Cruz Azul fans, Santos Laguna fans, Tijuana fans, Puebla, Galaxy, Inter Messi and a smattering of other MLS teams. The Leagues Cup player of the year and wonder goal nominee is absolutely thrilling, when available.

Lanus, Argentina and Seattle also know his history of injuries. Injuries are why he’s in Seattle.

PdlV only played 41% of available minutes in all competitions. A healthy winger of his quality should be around 66% or so. His absolutely stellar all comps performance of 0.72 is on par with Hany Mukhtar, at 20th in MLS play. Pedro is ahead of Diego Rossi, Djordje Mihailovic, and Dejan Joveljić.

When you think about how the Seattle Sounders will make up ground for the inevitable decline of Danny Musovski the names Arriola and de la Vega should be bandied about.

They weren’t merely better than the people who replaced them on the Sounders – they’re better than the majority of high-profile players in the league.

In 2025 Craig Waibel raised the floor and the peak. Injuries gave us only a few glimpses of that peak.

2026 is when the multi-competition heroic Sounders can once again show their prowess and why their presence as a top tier club is eternal.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

Here’s what you missed on the site this week.

Sounders

Next match: Sunday, February 22, 2026 v. the Colorado Rapids | 6 p.m. PT | Apple TV/FS1

Reign

Schedule to come next week.

Defiance

Schedule to come.

Looking back at the news

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Seattle, WA

Here’s why the Blue Angels in Seattle on Monday

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Here’s why the Blue Angels in Seattle on Monday

SEATTLE – Known for their high-flying skills above the skies during air shows, the Blue Angels will be in Seattle once again on Monday.

But with Seafair not until the summer, many are wondering why the Navy pilots are in the Emerald City ahead of schedule.

Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets are flying The Diamond Roll (four planes in formation), doing a 360-degree roll as one unit, flying at 400 mph over Lake Washington for the Seafair weekend in Seattle. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Keep reading to find out why the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are in Seattle on Jan. 12.

Why are the Blue Angels in Seattle now?

The Blue Angels returned to Seattle on Monday to begin preseason planning for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show.

Pilots will assess airshow locations, scouting the skies and getting familiar with the landscape ahead of the Seafair Weekend Festival, when they perform in three separate air shows. Their visit brings the iconic Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornets to the city, the aircraft pilots use during the air show.

Blue Angels pilots plan to stay in Seattle until Tuesday, coordinating with Seafair event organizers. Last year, only two Blue Angels pilots were in Seattle for preseason planning, instead of the entire squadron.

When are the Blue Angels coming back to Seattle?

The Blue Angels will fly back to western Washington for the 2026 Boeing Seafair Air Show, on Friday, July 31 – Sunday, August 2, 2026.

They’ll also be in town for two practice runs on Thursday, July 30.

When is the 2026 Seafair Air Show?

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will perform in three air shows throughout Seafair weekend. They’re happening each afternoon on July 31 through Aug. 2 on Lake Washington and at Genesee Park.

The multi-day Seafair Weekend Festival also includes the Apollo Mechanical Cup Hydroplane Races, along with live entertainment, food and drinks, and family-friendly activities. Tickets for the festival go on sale in February.

Who are the Blue Angels?

The Blue Angels is a team of elite Navy flight demonstrators, showcasing their aviation skills in high-speed, precision aerobatic performances.

They perform in air shows across the U.S. each year, with the goal of inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country, displaying the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.

Formed in 1946, this year marks the 80th year of the Blue Angels. They take pride in performing for audiences both at home and abroad, showcasing the excitement, precision, and power of Naval aviation.

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The Source: Information in this story came from U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Seafair, and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.

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