The “Patriot Way” runs deep right now in Henderson. Kidding aside, it’s interesting to see how much of the Las Vegas Raiders roster is interwoven as it’s currently built. Many fans don’t want to hear it, for obvious reasons, but it’s not a coincidence that so many former players from the regime’s time in New England now wear the Silver and Black. Among them is Chandler Jones, the defensive leader who recently weighed in on reuniting with some of his cohorts, namely Jimmy Garoppolo and Jakobi Meyers.
When the Raiders and Patriots clashed last season, it gave fans so many moments, many of which went on to become legendary memes. Who recalls Patriots quarterback Mac Jones sitting in disbelief on the field at Allegiant Stadium? Or Jones himself, stiff-arming Mac to the pits of Sin City. Well, prior to that, Meyers (now with the Raiders) had one of the biggest snafus of the entire NFL season. Now he’s sharing the practice field with Jones. It’s only natural to assume there might be some tension there; of course, No. 55 shot any of that down this week.
When asked if there was any trash talk between himself and Jakobi Meyers, his now Raiders teammate, Jones cleared the air.
“No trash at all, no trash. Not to talk about the past, but I thank him for doing that. I thank him. For sure, there’s no trash; there’s no slander at all.”
I think we can put any concern of tension aside; let’s face it, these men are all business.
Switching gears to another reunion of sorts for Jones, this time with his old scout quarterback. The pair become teammates once again with the Raiders after spending two years together in New England.
“Yeah, me and Jimmy sit there and just reminisce all day and during any downtime we get. I don’t know if you guys noticed, but Jimmy was my scout team quarterback. And I just admire watching his career, him taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and all those things. And then him being here now, it’s full circle, but it’s very cool to see Jimmy’s career and see him come here and us being here together. I’m glad to have him here, for sure,” the Raiders edge rusher stated.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: things are gravy right now. It’s training camp, at least in the early going. Jimmy Garoppolo has a couple of days under his belt, and nostalgia is evident. Still, roots run deep in the NFL; Chandler Jones goes way back with “Jimmy G.” That’s a bond we shouldn’t overlook. By the looks of things, chemistry shouldn’t be much of an issue with so much deep-rooted camaraderie built on being Patriots; if nothing else, these new Raiders can instill a winning culture.
Raider Nation can only hope, right?
*Top Photo: Getty Images