When the New England Patriots took Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, they were hoping he would be the successor to Tom Brady under center. Things have not exactly worked out that way.
Now in his third season, Jones is struggling mightily, having been benched each of the last two weeks due to miserable performances in a pair of blowout losses.
Jones’ struggles have many wondering if and when the Patriots will pull the plug on the Jones experiment and go in a different direction at quarterback.
This has led to speculation that New England could pursue a big-name veteran signal-caller during the offseason, but former Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski does not think the team should head down that road.
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, Malik Willis & Tennessee Titans Updates
Instead, he feels that the Patriots should go after another young quarterback to provide some competition for Jones and potentially beat him out as the club’s future signal-caller.
Gronkowski got very specific in his assertion on the Up & Adams Show this week, suggesting that New England pursue Tennessee Titans backup Malik Willis.
“Bring him in. Coach (Bill) Belichick loves speed,” Gronkowski said. “He loves a quarterback who can also run the ball. He never really had that before, but I always remember when he was facing an opponent like that he would hype them up.”
The Titans took Willis in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He made eight appearances and got three starts during his rookie campaign, but the early returns were pretty terrible, as he threw no touchdowns and three interceptions. However, to Gronkowski’s point, he carried the ball 27 times for 123 times and a score.
NFL NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots, Malik Willis & Tennessee Titans Updates
Willis has not yet seen any action in 2023, but perhaps he actually could represent a sleeper pick to challenge Jones for the starting quarterback job in Foxborough next season.
