Jonathan Jones made the New England Patriots’ regular-season roster as an undrafted cornerback from Auburn in 2016 because of his special-teams ability. While he still had 116 special-teams plays in 2022, Jones has demonstrated an adaptability in the secondary in the seven seasons since that has allowed him to contribute for the Patriots beyond the third phase of the game.

First, Jones developed into New England’s regular slot corner. For the 2018 postseason, he shadowed Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Tyreek Hill in the AFC Championship Game, then switched to safety for a special defensive scheme that led to a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. After the departure of Pro Bowler J.C. Jackson in free agency last offseason, Jones stepped into the vacated outside corner spot.

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Now Jones is preparing to tackle something else new – unrestricted free agency. If the Patriots don’t sign Jones to a contract extension before March 15, he will reach the open market for the first time in his career.

“It’s a lot of emotions,” Jones said during an appearance on NBC Sports Boston’s “The Next Pats Podcast.” “My adulthood has been spent in New England. The things I’ve been a part of, the things I’ve had an opportunity to be a part of in my career there, has been a blessing.

“Just going into free agency, taking everything in stride — you know, one day at a time — and just enjoying the process, enjoying the journey. Something new for me.”

Jones became a restricted free agent in 2019 when his three-year rookie contract expired, but the Patriots put a second-round tender on him. That kept Jones in New England for another season, and the day before that campaign kicked off, he signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension that will expire next month.

“I would hope so,” Jones said about the prospect of signing a fourth contract with the Patriots. “That’s where I’ve spent my career. It’s what I know. It’s what I love. I mean, New England is home for me in that aspect, so we’ll see. We’ll see how free agency turns out, and we’ll take it from there.”

During the final month of the 2022 season, New England coach Bill Belichick called Jones a player who “does everything right all the time.” But Jones’ return to the Patriots this time around might not be a certainty.

New England drafted two cornerbacks last year, taking former Enterprise High School and Troy standout Marcus Jones from Houston in the third round and Jack Jones from Arizona State in the fourth round. Both broke in by playing more than one-third of the Patriots’ defensive snaps in 2022.

Jones said he had viewed the rookie cornerbacks more as a responsibility than a threat, and he tried to show them the elements of the Patriots’ past success in the same way that the veterans of his early days had guided him.

“I came in under a standard from those guys, and you just try to keep that up,” Jones said of playing for teams that won four AFC East titles, three AFC championships and two NFL crowns. “You can’t do anything new. You’re not reinventing the wheel. You’re just being a guy who’s been around the standard and knows the standard and kind of conveys that to the guys in the locker room maybe in a different way than maybe the coaches can just by having that leadership within the locker room.”

Whether switching positions, serving as a link to New England’s glory days or, now, tackling free agency, Jones hasn’t been deterred when confronted by the need to change.

“I embraced it, honestly,” Jones said about adopting a new position in 2022. “It was a little bit different. Got halfway through training camp, they kind of came to me, asked me about playing outside, and I was up for it. I think a lot of people forget the Rams Super Bowl. I moved to safety. Had never played safety before that.

“I just enjoy and embrace new challenges and just expanding my game, knowing that I have the tools to do those things and just going out there and executing with my teammates.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.