Adam "Pacman" Jones agreed to a two-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday, putting the troubled cornerback on a team with a history of giving players second chances.
"There is going to be a two-year deal," Tom Hunter, Jones' agent, told The Associated Press on Thursday night. "It's going to be signed Friday or Monday. We don't have (it) in hand yet, but we will."
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A league source told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that Jones received essentially a veteran-minimum contract with some minor incentives.
Jones, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2008 season and didn't play last year, worked out twice for the Bengals this offseason, including Tuesday. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2005 draft, but he has struggled to stay on the field because of his repeated arrests.
Jones, 26, was suspended for the entire 2007 season and for six games with the Cowboys in 2008 for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy.
Jones could have some trouble making the Bengals' roster. Cincinnati has one of the NFL's best cornerback tandems in Johnathan Joseph and Leon Hall, who had six interceptions apiece last season. Morgan Trent, a sixth-round pick last year, had a solid rookie season, and the Bengals selected Wake Forest's Brandon Ghee in the third round last month, looking for depth at the position.
The Bengals' defense finished fourth in the league -- one of the main reasons they won the AFC North with a 10-6 record in 2009.
Jones was expected to be a cornerstone of the Titans' defense for years after he was drafted out of West Virginia. Instead, he was arrested six times and involved in 12 instances requiring police intervention. The Cowboys traded for Jones, but he got into trouble again, drawing the six-game suspension for an alcohol-related scuffle with a team-provided bodyguard.
Jones appeared in nine games for Dallas, starting six, but failed to record an interception. He also returned punts and averaged just 4.5 yards, prompting the Cowboys to release him after the season.
Jones went to West Virginia along with late Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry. The two of them got into so much trouble with their NFL teams that commissioner Roger Goodell toughened the league's disciplinary policies.
The Bengals released Henry in 2008 following his fifth arrest. Team owner Mike Brown referred to himself as a "redeemer" and did an about-face, bringing Henry back against coach Marvin Lewis' wishes. Henry died in a fall from a pickup truck driven by his fiancee late last season.
The Bengals became more cautious about signing troubled players after they had 10 arrested during a 14-month span. Henry and linebacker Odell Thurman were the main offenders, drawing repeated suspensions beginning in 2005.
The team has softened its stance in the last two years, bringing in players on low-risk deals.
Running back Cedric Benson was released by the Chicago Bears after two alcohol-related arrests -- the cases were dropped after grand juries declined to indict -- and the Bengals signed him to a minimal financial deal during the 2008 season. The Bengals took the same approach last season with running back Larry Johnson, who received a minimal contract in Cincinnati and left for the Washington Redskins as a free agent after the season.
In February, the Bengals signed wide receiver Matt Jones, who didn't play in the NFL last season, to a one-year deal at close to the league minimum. Jones was charged with cocaine possession and with violating a plea agreement, prompting the Jacksonville Jaguars to release him after the 2008 season.
Also Thursday, agent Alvin Keels said via Twitter that safety Gibril Wilson had agreed to a one-year deal with the Bengals. Financial terms weren't disclosed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
