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5 Signs That Jones Won’t Be Back

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

Photo credit: Kari Heistad/capturedimages.biz

To borrow a phrase all too familiar in Foxboro: it’s more probable than not that midfielder Jermaine Jones has already played his last game for the Revolution.

Yes, his 18 months as a member of the local outfit were memorable. Well, at least the first three were. But like all good things in MLS, Jones’ run with the Revolution has almost certainly come to an end.

How do we know? Well, here are five signs that Jones has probably closed the book on his time in New England.

1. That heartfelt Instagram post. The latest rage among professional athletes is to take out an ad in the local newspaper thanking the fans and organization when said athletes decide to depart. Well, Jones essentially did the same, albeit in a different forum. At first blush, it appeared that Jones was simply expressing gratitude knowing his contract was about to expire, and not really sure what the future held. Now, some four weeks after the fact, it appears that his Instagram post wasn’t so much note of thanks than it was a farewell.

2. The fact his status remained unchanged when the Revolution made a slew of roster decisions last week. The last time the Revolution faced the prospect of losing one of their top players, the organization addressed it while announcing its annual list of returning players. In 2013, the club announced via press release that center back Jose Goncalves was among 11 players the Revolution would bring back for the following season. Mind you, the dynamic is different this time around; Jones was not on loan, and thus, it wasn’t as simple as exercising a purchase option. But the fact that the organization hasn’t ratcheted up its negotiations with its superstar by the time they made their latest series of moves is telling, and not in a good way for those who own Revolution jerseys bearing the no. 13.

3. Michael Burns and Jay Heaps aren’t even in the country at the present moment. The Revolution could be somewhat excused for not being able to re-sign Jones when they made their recent roster announcements. After all, we’re talking about the highest-paid player in club history, and no doubt, it’s most popular. But what is confusing is that it’s clear Jones’ return isn’t a top priority. Case in point: at a time in which the braintrust should, theoretically, be making a strong push to get him to sign an extension, they’re across the Atlantic talking with Sporting CP about training stints for Zachary Herivaux, Donnie Smith and Sean Okoli. At that rate, the marketing department might as well put up a new billboard stating “Jermaine Jones. No longer here.”

4. Jones hasn’t returned to the area since the end of the season. Credit Jones for saying all the right things during what became a protracted negotiation with the club. Not only did he say enjoyed the area, but he had his family visit Boston during the summer, and told the media that his wife and children enjoyed their time here, too. While there’s no reason to believe that they didn’t like Beantown, it’s interesting that neither Jones, nor his family, have returned to the area since the end of the season. If both sides were nearing an agreement, Jones and his family would be scoping out schools and residences for the next three years. To the best of our knowledge, this hasn’t occurred, even though the start of preseason camp is only seven weeks away.

5. That cryptic retweet of Taylor Twellman’s assertion that Jones won’t be back in New England. What’s one of the easiest ways to get your point across without saying a word? Just endorse something you see on social media. This is apparently what Jones did when he retweeted Twellman’s take on Jones’ future. Generally, people don’t retweet sentiments they don’t agree with (unless they’re Twitter shaming, of course). It’s also worth noting that it was Twellman who originally broke the news that Jones would be coming to New England back in Aug. 2014, something that lends even more credence to the notion that the star midfielder’s days in Foxboro are done.

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