This is an updated story from a piece reported on by Tyler Fisher and Patrick Murphy on Dec. 15. The signing is now official.

Less than a week after winning the 2023 MLS Cup, the Columbus Crew was already hard at work on preparing the roster for the 2024 season and a run at trophies in multiple competitions. The newly crowned champions of MLS were working to sign veteran MLS free agent midfielder Derrick Jones.

On Thursday, the Black & Gold made it official. The club announced the signing of Jones to a contract through 2025 with an option for 2026.

“Derrick is a versatile player and a true competitor,” said Columbus president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in the release officially announcing the signing. “He adds significant experience and depth to our roster, which will be critical as we have an increased number of matches following our MLS Cup championship season, including Concacaf Champions Cup.” 

This move was first reported by Steven Goff of The Washington Post and confirmed by Massive Report. Sources with knowledge of the situation told Massive Report that discussions were ongoing with Jones and there was optimism that the midfielder will be with the Crew this offseason. Now the deal is done.

At 6-foot-4, Jones is an athletic and technical midfield player who can also play center back. This versatility is something Black & Gold head coach Wilfried Nancy valued in players during his first year in Columbus and Jones could be an important piece for a club that will play more games in 2024, competing in MLS, CONCACAF Champions Cup, Leagues Cup, Campeones Cup and the U.S. Open Cup.

Jones, 26, is originally from Ghana but moved to Philadelphia at 14. Not long after coming to the United States, Jones joined the Philadelphia Union Academy and spent four seasons with the club. Jones played in 26 games, 11 starts for the Union, tallying 1,144 minutes while attempting 11 shots.

Following the 2020 season, Jones was traded to MLS expansion club Nashville SC. He played in 18 games, nine starts, for Nashville that year and recorded two assists.

The midfielder was again traded to the Houston Dynamo after one season in Nashville. During the 2021 season, Jones appeared in 20 games, making 14 starts, and recording one assist in 1,132 minutes.

Early in the 2022 season, Jones was on the move again, this time in a trade to Charlotte FC. He notched one goal in 16 games, 10 starts, in 2022. This past year with Charlotte, Jones featured in 28 games, with 20 starts, logging 1,843 minutes.

Massive Report will have all the offseason updates from the defending MLS Cup champions as we learn of any moves.

2024 Columbus Crew roster:

Goalkeepers (3): Evan Bush, Nicholas Hagen, Patrick Schulte

Defenders (8): Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, Yevhen Cheberko, Mohamed Farsi, Keegan Hughes, Steven Moreira, Philip Quinton, Will Sands 

Midfielders (7): Derrick Jones, Kevin Molino, Alex Matan, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Yaw Yeboah, Sean Zawadzki  

Forwards (5): Max Arfsten, Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi, Jacen Russell-Rowe