Jones averaged 24:27 of ice time with Columbus, almost five minutes more than he did in Nashville.
"We're very happy to be done with this [signing]," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. "Everybody speculated on our [NHL salary-cap] room, but we had ways around it if somebody wanted to get silly (with an offer sheet). We just wanted to get Seth signed.
"We feel he's a huge part of the young core we believe in into the future."
By the time the Blue Jackets begin next season against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 13, their top two defensive pairings could include Jones (22), Ryan Murray (24) and rookie Zach Werenski (19), along with David Savard (25).
"All three of us understand where Zach is and how that feels as an 18-, 19-year-old coming into the NHL," Jones said, "so we're going to have to help him along with that. It's going to be a special backline."
The Blue Jackets finished 27th in the NHL with a 34-40-8 record, but Jones remains optimistic.
"I really like it in Columbus," he said. "I'm very happy with the team we're putting together here and the potential is so high. It's definitely a place I want to play.
"We didn't have the season we wanted, but at the same time we can only go up. I love the core. We have a bunch of young guys. We're going to continue to learn through this process. I truly believe in my teammates and when we play like the way we can, we're very capable of being a winning team."