Mac Jones’ three-year run with the New England Patriots will soon come to an end. This seemed to be in the cards since last season when the quarterback was benched multiple times by then-head coach Bill Belichick.
With a new power structure in the cards in New England right now, it’s now all but inevitable that Jones will be traded.
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Patriots are “open” to trading Jones. The report also notes that teams have been calling New England about the former first-round pick from Alabama.
It has been an up-and-down ride for Jones in New England. He led the team to a surprise playoff appearance as a rookie back in 2021, throwing 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. It’s been downhill since with the 25-year-old signal caller throwing 24 touchdowns compared to 23 picks over the past two seasons.
- Mac Jones career stats: 66.1% completion, 8,918 yards, 46 TD, 36 INT
The likeliest scenario here is that Jones will land on a team that gives him an opportunity to compete for a starting job. He could also go to the right situation as a backup.
Related: Updated NFL trade rumors, including Mac Jones
Where might Mac Jones land in a trade during NFL offseason?
- Minnesota Vikings: This is all dependent on what happens with Kirk Cousins. Minnesota has until the start of the new league year on March 13 to sign the Pro Bowler to an extension. If not, he’ll be moving on with the team taking a significant $28.5 million dead cap hit. In this scenario, the Vikings wouldn’t be able to pay top dollar for a quarterback such as Baker Mayfield. It would make more sense to take a chance that a change of scenery would do the still-young Jones well.
- Las Vegas Raiders: It’s no secret that new general manager Tom Telesco is looking for a QB1 after the failed Jimmy Garoppolo experiment under the previous regime. The Raiders have already been linked to Russell Wilson, among others. They could also use a first-round pick at this position. With all of that said, Jones makes sense as a low-cost, high-upside option. He wouldn’t necessarily be a bridge quarterback. He could work wonders in Vegas with the right mix of weapons and scheme.
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- Denver Broncos: Speaking of Wilson, Denver took on a dead cap hit of north of $35 million by releasing the quarterback. It sets head coach Sean Payton and Co. up in a situation in which they need a QB without a ton of money to spend. Denver has also been linked to quarterbacks with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft. Instead of going that route, the Broncos send off a mid-round pick to New England as a way to find out if they can fix the recent issues we’ve seen with Jones.
- Atlanta Falcons: General manager Terry Fontenot has made it clear that they are turning over every stone to find an upgrade over Desmond Ridder at quarterback. That includes the likes of Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield and Justin Fields. Assuming Cousins and Mayfield are not options, we believe Jones makes more sense than Fields in new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson’s offense. He comes from the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan tree. That is to say, valuing more traditional dropback quarterbacks.