Everyone is expecting the New England Patriots to move on from quarterback Mac Jones this offseason, but are we jumping the gun?
Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston thinks that may be the case.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show this week, Curran said that there stands a chance that the Patriots keep Jones as a bridge quarterback next season.
“It’s not that long ago that he actually had a game against the Buffalo Bills that he brought the team back to win, 29-25, so there’s a quarterback in there,” Curran said. “There’s a quarterback in there who can play.”
But has Jones peeved the organization to the point where New England would not want to give him another opportunity to prove himself?
“The leadership aspect was difficult for most people in the organization to swallow, despite the bad situation that most people agree he was put in, coach-wise, I think his acting out, really soured—not completely—but really soured the organization on whether or not they can see him as a leader all the time,” Curran said. “And I think it might be best if they move on from each other, from both sides.”
So perhaps a change of scenery would be best for Jones.
Still, Curran thinks that in the end, the Pats may opt to keep him around for 2024.
“But, in a vacuum, if you look at it, you say, he’s a kid on the fourth year of his rookie contract, it’s manageable,” Curran concluded. “We’ve seen him have good games in the NFL, why would we move on from him?”
Jones is coming off of a miserable 2023 campaign in which he made 11 starts before being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe. During his time on the field, he threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 77.
The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, so they could always take a quarterback and let him sit on the bench while Jones plays out 2024.
Or, New England could sign a veteran quarterback—someone like Joe Flacco—and allow him to start next season while the rookie learns under him.
The Pats will probably make their decision on Mac Jones in the coming weeks.
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