Could the New England Patriots be thinking of moving on from quarterback Mac Jones? Perhaps Bill Belichick could look to reunite with Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo?
Jones was benched in the third quarter of the Patriots’ blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4. He threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, with two of those three turnovers resulting in touchdowns for the Cowboys. The 38-3 defeat represented the worst loss for New England under head coach Bill Belichick.
Perhaps the Pats could consider bringing back an old friend?
James Nolan of FanSided suggests that the Patriots should trade for Garoppolo, who spent the first three seasons of his career in New England as Tom Brady‘s backup before eventually being dealt to the San Francisco 49ers.
Before Garoppolo was traded, there was a time when Belichick saw him as Brady’s successor.
Does Belichick still feel the same way about Garoppolo? Maybe not, considering Garoppolo has not exactly lived up to expectations. But perhaps Belichick can work some magic with Garoppolo, who would probably still be an upgrade over Jones regardless.
The Pats could send Jones and a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Raiders in exchange for Garoppolo. After all, the Patriots did field trade offers on Jones back in the spring, and Las Vegas was one of the clubs that expressed interest.
The question is whether or not the Raiders would still be interested in Jones or if they would prefer to move forward with Aidan O’Connell, who got the start for Las Vegas in Week 4 while Garoppolo was sidelined due to a concussion.
One thing is for sure: the Patriots do not seem happy with Jones at the moment, and Jimmy Garoppolo has not gotten off to a great start in Vegas. Even though he didn’t even play in Week 4, he still has thrown a league-worst six interceptions on the season.
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