After a disappointing 2022 season with Matt Patricia calling the offensive plays for the Patriots, the franchise opted to transition to a new play caller for the future. Shortly following the conclusion of the regular season the Patriots rehired former coordinator Bill O’Brien from Alabama to better support Mac Jones who is now entering his third year in the NFL.
But now there is potential that the team could be out on Jones going into the future.
Or at the very least are willing to hear what other teams would offer in a trade package.
During a radio appearance last Thursday, NFL insider Albert Breer shared that the Patriots would listen to trade offers for Jones, highlighting that the team doesn’t see a “massive gap” in talent between him and backup quarterback Bailey Zappe.
“I think they would (listen to offers),” Breer told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand. “Internally I don’t know if they see this massive gap between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. I’m not saying they think Bailey’s as good as Mac, but there was some element of Bailey doing what he was coached to do last year that I think gave Bailey the edge to some degree for a little while there.
“So I think it’ll be interesting to see what would happen if a real offer is going to come along. I don’t think a real offer is going to come along, but it’d be interesting to see what would happen if a real offer did come along.”
Last season Jones and the Patriots got off to a 1-2 start before he suffered an ankle injury against the Ravens sidelining him for three games. In that span, Zappe took over the quarterback duties helping the team to a 2-1 record in those games while also splitting time with Jones in his return against the Bears where he took a majority of the snaps despite the former Alabama quarterback’s return.
While some in the media believed there was a true quarterback controversy, head coach Bill Belichick opted to keep Jones as the team’s starter for the remainder of the year. The team would ultimately finish with a record of 8-9, missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Jones’s overall performance and statistics took a noticeable drop with Patricia serving as the play-caller as he caught a large portion of the criticism.
Mac Jones Career
2021 2022
Comp pct 68% 65%
Yds/att 7.3 6.8
Passer rtg 92.5 << 84.8 <<>> 26th in NFL in passer rating last season (15th as rookie) pic.twitter.com/Nv6k4E4kW9
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) February 20, 2023
But more drama was revealed in the offseason when NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms appeared on the same New England radio show sharing that Jones was in Belichick’s doghouse after looking for outside help for the team’s offensive struggles.
“I do think he was a little bit in the proverbial doghouse with Belichick a little bit because, yes, I was told that he was calling around and trying to ask, ‘Hey, we need some ideas for the offense.’ And word got back to Bill and that was why he was in the doghouse a little bit,” Simms shared with Zolak and Bertrand.
There were also several points throughout the season where Jones appeared to be visibly frustrated on the sidelines appearing to be airing out his grievances with Patricia following unsuccessful drives.
According to Breer, this was also something Belichick didn’t appreciate as he wants a quarterback who will conduct himself in a different way.
I don’t think Bill appreciated the way that Mac handled some of the stuff last year,” Breer said. “There’s a way that I think Bill thinks a franchise quarterback should conduct himself. And for the most part, (Tom) Brady did conduct himself that way. I think there were certain things in the way that Mac handled his second year as a pro that Bill didn’t appreciate.”
One potential option for a landing spot could be with the Las Vegas Raiders who just moved on from veteran quarterback Derek Carr. It would also reunite Jones with Josh McDaniels who was his offensive coordinator during his rookie season in New England.
Naturally, Breer addressed the assumption but the two may have different ideas on what sort of trade package would work.
“I don’t know how in love the Raiders are with Mac,” Breer said. “Like, if you’re talking about getting their first-round pick, I don’t think that’s happening.”
The recent trade rumor came just days after the team’s owner Robert Kraft publicly endorsed Jones as the team’s future quarterback during an interview with Fox Bussiness’ Neil Cavuto.
“We are blessed to have a great young quarterback in Mac Jones as our quarterback,” Kraft said. “I’m a strong believer in him and his development.”
Kraft shared his excitement about pairing Jones and O’Brien who both have familiarity with each other and the Patriots system.
“I think he was an excellent choice,” Kraft said. “He has a learning-curve experience with our system. He knows Mac Jones. He knows how to build a great offense, and I’m excited to see what happens next year.”
Although a trade involving Jones is likely as of today, the unclear message from Belichick and Kraft on the future of the Patriots’ quarterback situation only adds to the dysfunction which began when Tom Brady left the franchise in 2019.
If anything, the pressure is only mounting on the team as it heads into the 2023 season with growing expectations.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
