A year after drafting quarterback Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots thought they found their new face of the franchise to replace Tom Brady. Just a few years later, Jones and the Patriots are nearing the end of a downward spiral.
New England made the NFL playoffs with its first season led by Jones. The rookie quarterback earned a Pro Bowl selection and helped the Patriots finish with a 10-7 record, a three-win improvement over their mark the previous season. However, what could’ve been a launching point for the storied NFL franchise instead turned into a rapid descent toward the bottom.
- Mac Jones stats 2023: 2,120 passing yards, 10-12 TD-INT, 6.1 yards per attempt, 77.0 QB rating
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After posting a 92.5 QB rating with a 22-13 TD-INT ratio and 67.5 percent completion rate in his first NFL season, Jones struggled in the next two years. Across 25 starts from 2022-’23, a stretch that included multiple benchings, Jones’ quarterback rating fell to 81.4 and he threw nearly as many interceptions (23) as touchdowns (24) with just a 65.1 percent completion rate.
The alarming regression has put New England in a position where it’s ready to move on from Jones in 2024, potentially taking reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. As Jones nears the end of his tenure in Foxborough, new details have emerged on his Patriots’ career.
Issues between Bill Belichick, Mac Jones
Bill Belichick’s decision in 2022 to replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia raised eyebrows around the NFL. Many were extremely skeptical that a defensive-minded coach with little experience on the offensive side could operate a functional offense.
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Patriots’ players and reporters took notice of the alarming issues in training cam during the summer of 2022. Those worries were proven legitimate in the regular season when New England had one of the worst offenses in the NFL.
Frustrated by the coaching of Patricia and quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, Jones went outside the organization for help which angered Belichick. Over time, the 2022 season caused a significant rift between the Patriots’ quarterback and head coach.
Things didn’t improve in 2023, even after owner Robert Kraft dismissed Patricia and brought in Bill O’Brien as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. Jones continued to struggle and after an in-season benching in Week 12, per Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, Belichick stopped speaking to Jones which created an uncomfortable situation in the locker room.
New England Patriots issues with Mac Jones
While Belichick’s treatment of Jones and his decision to center his offensive coaching staff around Patricia and Judge was viewed as part of the problem in New England, Jones doesn’t escape blame. In fact, team officials were quite critical of the young quarterback.
“He was part of the problem as far as what he was doing, who he was character-wise. He’s not a bad character guy, but as a guy that wasn’t quite the leader of the group. He just wanted to be one of the guys.”
New England Patriots source on Mac Jones (H/T Mark Daniels off MassLive.com)
Specifically, per Daniels, team officials weren’t happy with Jones’ leadership. Described as a “happy-go-lucky” guy, he didn’t challenge his teammates when the offense was struggling. Jones’ confidence and mental resilience worsened, with the Patriots’ quarterback becoming increasingly frustrated by the system and Belichick having grown tired of his quarterback.
Jones was a supportive teammate, even for his replacement Bailey Zappe. While he did have support from the locker room with several Patriots players even telling Daniels that they “felt badly” that the team’s results were blamed on Jones, the Patriots quarterback couldn’t dig himself out of the mental tailspin.
Interestingly, one of Jones’ worst performances came when he played through pain. According to Daniels, Jones played through a stinger in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. With bad pass protection and little feeling in his arm and hand, Jones threw a critical interception.
The lone positive for Jones is that New England is reportedly more willing to keep him now that Belichick is gone. However, considering his struggles over the last two years and the opportunity to draft Daniels, Jones will likely need a change of scenery in 2024.