FILE - Minnesota Vikings passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Daronte Jones speaks with a player while wearing a "Salute to Service" shirt during an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 10, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)
January 26, 2026 - 12:20 PM
Daronte Jones and the Washington Commanders were finalizing a deal on Monday to make him their defensive coordinator, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract was not completed and nothing had been announced by the team.
ESPN was first to report that Jones and the Commanders were close to an agreement.
Jones has spent the past three seasons as the defensive passing game coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and also has served as that club's defensive backs coach. He's been working under defensive coordinator Brian Flores in Minnesota, which ranked No. 3 in total defense in 2025 and was among the top 10 teams in takeaways three times while Jones was there.
In joining coach Dan Quinn in Washington, Jones replaces coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., who was stripped of play-calling duties during this past regular season and fired at the end of the season.
Quinn temporarily took over as the defensive play-caller but now brings in Jones to try to rebuild a unit that was among the worst in the NFL while the Commanders went 5-12 a year after going 12-5 and making it all the way to the NFC championship game. One data point: No team in the NFL allowed opponents to gain more yards than the Commanders did.
Jones, 47, was born and went to high school in Maryland. He has plenty of college coaching experience, including working as LSU's defensive coordinator in 2021 — when he called plays — and has spent about a decade working on NFL staffs, including with the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Vikings.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
News from © The Associated Press, 2026