Last season Mac Jones did something few players in the organization have accomplished.
Get on Bill Belichick’s bad side and continue to wear a Patriots uniform.
The second part shouldn’t be a surprise seeing that Jones was the team’s first-round pick in 2021 and helped lead the franchise to the playoffs as a rookie. But it’s what happened in year two that Belichick still carries some resentment towards.
According to several reports, Jones sought help from outside the Patriots organization to assist in fixing the team’s offensive struggles under defensive coordinator turned offensive coordinator Matt Patricia. When Belichick caught wind of this he was obviously less than pleased.
But now, several months removed, Belichick apparently is still upset about the actions Jones took according to an interview with insider Tom E. Curran on WEEI’s “Jones & Mego with Arcand.”
“As we know, a disloyalty in Bill’s mind is almost worse than bad play,” Curran said. “Mac, even though you could say it’s ironic because he’s trying to get better and he’s wondering ‘Are we supposed to be doing it this way?’ And he’s asking around the football world about it. That effort to improve was showing up the Matt Patricia-Joe Judge contingent that Bill put in charge. When Bill caught wind of it — he’s still pissed about it.”
Belichick’s reported feelings add even more fuel to the fire around the Patriots’ questions at quarterback as the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach refused to commit to Jones as the starter for the 2023 season.
Although Jones’ actions were inappropriate the team’s offensive struggles were clear under Patricia who was largely considered to be a poor hire.
Replacing Patritica moving forward is former Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien who has a previous relationship with Belichick and Jones, and now hopes to add stability to the offense.
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