New England Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf isn’t dwelling on the team’s past failures, but he’s also not completely ignoring them, either.
One of the biggest disasters in franchise history, without question, was the Mac Jones era. The former No. 15 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft showed tremendous promise as a rookie Pro Bowler, before falling so high off a cliff that he was shipped off in a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars, two years later, just to play backup for Trevor Lawrence.
The last thing the Patriots need is a sequel to that situation with current rookie quarterback Drake Maye, who was taken at No. 3 overall in the 2024 draft. One of the best ways of avoiding that is taking lessons from the past and improving to ensure a better future.
Wolf recently appeared on the “Up & Adams” show and talked about his biggest takeaway from the failed Jones era.
“The main thing that we’ve been able to take away is just being able to support, not only Drake, but every quarterback we have,” said Wolf. “Just throw every level of support that we possibly can at the quarterback. And those are things that, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s something off the field, whether it’s virtual reality—whatever the case may be. Just really having the willingness to support whoever the quarterback is in every facet that we possibly can.”
Eliot Wolf on what the #Patriots learned from the Mac Jones ordeal:
“The main thing that we’ve been able to take away is just being able to support not only Drake (Maye), but every quarterback we have. Just throw every level of support that we possibly can at the quarterbacks…… pic.twitter.com/Wpd0XaYMRf
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) May 28, 2024
The Patriots have already demonstrated a different level of support for Maye under the new regime of Wolf and coach Jerod Mayo. They committed seven of their eight draft picks to the offensive side of the ball.
It’s a huge difference from Bill Belichick using the first three picks on defensive players in 2023, despite the offensive unit’s clear and obvious struggles.
Jones might not have had Maye’s natural talent, but he also wasn’t given much of a chance to succeed in New England, either. The offensive line was a mess, and he had one of the worst receiving corps in the NFL.
Throw in the fact that he also had three different offensive coordinators in his three years with the team and it’s hard to imagine anyone succeeding under those circumstances.
The Patriots must change before the outcome does. So far, under Wolf and Mayo, they’ve shown a willingness to do so.