Another Ex-Patriots Veteran Defender Reportedly Joins Commanders

The New England Patriots reportedly lost veteran defensive back Jonathan Jones to the Washington Commanders in free agency Wednesday. Later in the evening, another veteran defender joined him.

Deatrich Wise Jr., a three-time captain with the Patriots, agreed to a one-year deal with the Commanders, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and MassLive’s Mark Daniels.

Wise tallied five sacks in the 2024 season and helped New England win Super Bowl LIII at the end of the 2018 season. Wise emerged as a vocal leader for the team and consistently spoke to the media during a culture shift in the post-Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era for the team.

Now, the veteran enters his age-31 season in the NFC East with a youthful Commanders team that made an unexpected run to the NFC Championship Game last season with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Patriots made an impact addition to the defensive line in free agency with the $104 million addition of former Eagles defender Milton Williams.