New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones finds himself in the rumor mill once again, albeit with conflicting reports emerging about the former Alabama QB being offered to multiple teams.
𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: The #Patriots have shopped QB Mac Jones to multiple teams in the 2023 offseason, a source tells Mike Florio. pic.twitter.com/vRovkJCbRX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 4, 2023
According to multiple sources Head Coach Bill Belichick has offered Jones to at least four teams: the Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Commanders.
The 24-year old Jones finished second in balloting for the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. He threw for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 picks. Here was his first TD of the season:
Throwback to Mac Jones first TD pass in the NFL. #NEvsMia week 1 opener x3 coming up pic.twitter.com/1rmjgQrLqx
— Brett (@TheBg_12) July 3, 2022
After being named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, Jones struggled this past fall. His second NFL season saw the quarterback experience significant regression in completion percentage, yards per passing attempt and quarterback rating.
And he was benched for Bailey Zappe during the 2022 season:
#Patriots Bill Belichick is noncommittal about Mac Jones starting over Bailey Zappe. pic.twitter.com/SHJvc2gZIs
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) March 31, 2023
If Belichick was willing to basically tell Tom Brady to take a hike when he thought the future Hall of Famer’s game was done, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him deal Jones.
Belichick has his reasons
It would seem there are things about Jones that bother Belichick—a lot. But is enough to trade him?
Maybe, just maybe, Belichick his decided two years into his NFL career that Jones simply isn’t that good. But, if Belichick is reportedly and supposedly shopping Jones due to other factors such as the way he handled the horrific situation his coach put him in last season in New England, then it’s a completely different story. If Jones made “an enemy” of Belichick through his on-field outbursts and questioning of the coaching staff last season, then that’s a big problem.
Is trouble brewing between the coach and owner?
Beyond what a trade would mean for the Patriots on the field, it will be fascinating on another level. To watch this situation evolve as a barometer for where things stand between Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft who is a fan of Jones.
Despite taking a sizable step back in 2022, Jones appears to still have support from THE most important member of the New England franchise.
Bill Belichick gave Mac Jones a defensive coach and a special teams coach to run the offense last season and he regressed, so now he's trying to trade him.
How long will Kraft let a declined Belichick run things in NE? history has proven he's a career losing coach without Brady pic.twitter.com/w9JRlcX3jG
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 4, 2023
IF Jones returns, he’ll have a better supporting cast. The Patriots added two talented pass-catchers (JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki), a running back (James Robinson) and a pair of veteran offensive linemen (Calvin Anderson and Riley Reiff) in free agency this offseason but also lost their No. 1 wideout in Jakobi Meyers. Considering the bar is already pretty low — New England ranked 26th in yards per game last season as one of the league’s least explosive offenses — the team should target another dynamic receiver via trade or the 2023 NFL Draft.
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