Coming into the 2022 season, the New England Patriots had high hopes for quarterback Mac Jones. Jones, who was selected No. 15 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, was by far the best rookie quarterback in 2021. He led the Patriots back to the postseason while excelling in his role as a game manager.
In Year 2, they were hoping that he would take that next step in his development and become a quarterback that not only managed the game well but won some games for the team. Head coach Bill Belichick praised the work that he was doing over the offseason, but that work has not translated to positive results on the field.
Jones has struggled with turnovers this season and was benched once in favor of rookie Bailey Zappe. That was enough for people to begin asking if Jones was the long-term answer for New England, and now there are rumors that Tom Brady may be interested in a reunion with his old team.
If that reunion comes to fruition, Jones would be traded during the offseason to help facilitate the move. Where could Jones end up? Here are three teams that should try and trade for Jones should the Alabama product come available.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders revamped their front office and coaching staff this season, poaching people away from the New England Patriots. They hired Dave Ziegler as general manager and he brought Josh McDaniels along to be the head coach. Things have not gone according to plan for them this season and they could be in the market for a quarterback in 2023.
Derek Carr hasn’t performed as well as they had hoped he would in McDaniels’ offensive scheme and they could move on from him rather easily should that be the route they take. After coaching Jones as a rookie, could McDaniels want to work with him again?
Jones looked better with McDaniels than he has at any point this season with Matt Patricia running the offense. Heading into Year 3, Jones could be the long-term answer for Las Vegas at the quarterback position.
If Zeigler liked Jones enough to be part of the group that spent a first-round pick on him, he could try his hand at bringing him to Sin City this offseason.
2. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have shown they are not afraid to make a trade to try and address their need for a quarterback. In 2021 they acquired Sam Darnold from the New York Jets and this past offseason they acquired Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns. Neither move panned out and the inability to find a quarterback is partly why Matt Rhule is no longer the head coach.
This is a roster that will undergo some major changes once a new coach is announced. Finding a quarterback is the No. 1 need, but there is some talent on this roster. If they could acquire Mac Jones from the Patriots for an affordable price, providing them the chance to use draft capital and money to address other needs on the roster, things could turn around quickly for the Panthers.
Having D.J. Moore and Terrace Marshall Jr. in place at wide receiver would provide Jones with nice weapons and D’Onta Foreman has proven to be a solid option out of the backfield along with Chuba Hubbard. With an improving defense, Carolina would be a sneaky dark horse playoff team in 2023 as they are right in the thick of the NFC South divisional race this season at 4-8.
1. Indianapolis Colts
Speaking of organizations that aren’t afraid to make a trade for a quarterback, the Colts also need to be mentioned. They haven’t had the same quarterback in Week 1 of the season since Andrew Luck started from 2012-2016. He surprisingly retired from the NFL ahead of the 2019 season, sending the Colts into a tailspin.
Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan have been the starters since that point and none have lasted more than one season. Ryan was looked at as someone that could bring stability and be an upgrade but that has not been the case.
This is a roster ready to compete for a playoff spot should they find consistent production at the quarterback spot. If they received the kind of production that Jones had during his rookie season, they would be neck and neck with the Tennessee Titans for the AFC South division title.
Jones would provide the team with long-term stability as well as he is only in his second season in the NFL. Running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce make this a nice situation for a quarterback such as Mac Jones to step into. Trading with the Patriots is something the Colts have done quite a bit recently.
