Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk came out with a bombshell today about Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Allegedly, according to a source, Bill Belichick has been shopping the former first-round pick as trade bait to other teams.
????????????????????????????????: The #Patriots have bought 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
It’s no secret that Jones struggled in his second season. For reasons both in, and out, of his control of him. He had a former failed defensive coach Matt Patricia calling his plays from him. A former failed special teams coach Joe Judge coached him directly. The personnel around him weren’t always great. He got hurt in his third game against the Ravens and missed valuable time. And let’s not forget the Monday Night Massacre versus the Chicago Bears where Belichick publicly embarrassed the quarterback. Intentionally or not, that was the synopsis for the Patriots the rest of the way.
In the last few months, Bill Belichick has failed to support Mac Jones in the public eye. When asked if he’s the starting quarterback, he’s refrained. The near 71-year-old coach has actually done the opposite. Referring to the position as a potential competition between Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, and maybe a potential draft pick.
Belichick and the Patriots sure haven’t made life easy for their 2020 first-round pick. Usually, when teams take quarterbacks that high, they’re handled with kid gloves and supported. With Mac Jones, it certainly feels like all Belichick has done is make life harder, and progressively so.
Between the Patricia/Judge fiasco, the lack of support in media, cutting his mentor Brian Hoyer, who’s recently signed with Las Vegas, and a quiet off-season, it’s hard to look at and conclude that trading Jones solves this.
Trading Mac Jones Isn’t Smart
At this point, who and what are the Patriots going to get from a Mac Jones trade? They’re stuck with a fourth-round version of Mac Jones at quarterback. The compensation won’t be a first-round pick. And if you’re going to go get a competent veteran, it’s either step to the plate for Lamar Jackson or Aaron Rodgers. Which is, by the way, the antithesis of Bill Belichick. Or go get an older version of Mac Jones (ie Ryan Tannehill) who’s just going to get you to the same point at triple the NFL experience with a third of the ceiling.
The reality of the situation is that Jones signifies an opportunity with a quarterback with some untapped potential on a rookie deal. Building around your quarterbacks during their rookie deal has proved fortunate with other teams. Look at the Bills, Dolphins, Eagles, Bengals, etc. Their fortunes were greatly changed when they got some support from their young signal callers. I’m not saying Jones is among the best NFL quarterbacks in the league today, but you’re telling me he’s not worth investing in?
Concluding Thoughts
Mac Jones is widely regarded as a smart quarterback. We witnessed in his rookie year that there’s something to him and his game of him. He is more than capable at the position, and with the right cast around him, things might happen. They were one game away from the playoffs despite the catastrophe last season. And Mac Jones had the support of his teammates. There’s value to that.
I’m not saying that Mac Jones is definitely the answer. But if you’re ready to call it after two seasons, and one where it was lost cause the second Josh McDaniels left thanks to coaching malpractice? Then you never really had faith in the first place, and I’ll never convince you otherwise.
Don’t close the case on Jones yet. This is a year where he’ll have a great coordinator in Bill O’Brien. The offensive line coach is Adrian Klemm, who won’t be sharing duties in calling plays. We have a draft where the offense could get seriously invested in early on with plenty of tackles and receivers to go around. If you were high on Mac Jones in his rookie campaign, let 2022 be a mulligan. Let’s see if he can return to form in 2023, and make a decision after 2024 when his rookie contract comes to a close. But now? With the options available? If you’re not willing to go get a former MVP sticking with your first-round pick and supporting that pick, as you should’ve from day one, is the right choice.
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