Mac Jones is thriving, but his Patriots tenure still haunts him

By Andrew Buller-Russ

·Updated: August 24, 2024

The New England Patriots moved on from Mac Jones just three years after making him the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Jones quickly became the team’s franchise quarterback, starting all 17 games as a rookie. He even brought the Patriots to the playoffs.

However, his next two seasons weren’t nearly as productive, causing him to lose his starting job. Today, he’s a backup quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars after for the 192nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But he’s thriving now that there’s a lot less pressure on the former first-round pick. However, that doesn’t mean the 25-year-old has completely moved on from his past struggles.

Doug Pederson’s impressed by Mac Jones, except when he reverts to ‘Patriot ways’

Trevor Lawrence is the Jacksonville Jaguars’ franchise quarterback, which leaves Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard competing for QB2 duties in Duval. One would think Jones, as a former first-round pick, would have the inside track to backing up Lawrence, but Beathard, heading into his third season in Doug Pederson’s offense, has a better feel for the scheme so far.

But that doesn’t mean Jones doesn’t have a chance to win the backup quarterback role in Jacksonville, especially after an impressive preseason.

Mac Jones stats (preseason): 73.1% comp. rate, 421 passing yards, 3 TD

So far, Coach Pederson is impressed with what he’s seen from Jomes during the preseason and in training camp practices. But that doesn’t mean Jones still doesn’t flash signs of inconsistency, much like his tenure with the Patriots.

“Mac has played extremely well in the last couple of weeks and has really bought into what we do. He’ll still revert back to his Patriots ways every now and then, and we have to remind him he’s in Jacksonville. But he’s done a good job managing and running the offense, getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he’s done a good job.”
Doug Pederson on Mac Jones

Reverting back to his “Patriots ways” is an interesting way to phrase Jones’ performance. Pederson wasn’t willing to elaborate on exactly what that meant, but obviously, there’s a reason New England moved on, and it’s not just because they had a chance to draft Drake Maye.

We’d be curious to hear more about how Jones turns back the clock to his time with New England, but all that matters is that he’s showing signs of improvement. In a perfect world the Jaguars won’t have to rely on any of their backup quarterbacks this season, but if Jones gets the call, he at least seems ready for the challenge. Let’s just hope he doesn’t start reverting back to his “Patriot ways” again.