Tag: Mac Jones

Mac Jones had positive remarks on former coach Bill Belichick

Mac Jones took the high road when discussing his run in New England.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones spoke about his former coach, Bill Belichick, when fielding questions from media members at his introductory press conference.

Jones was drafted by Belichick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. The signal-caller was thought to be the next franchise quarterback for the New England Patriots. Instead, poor development and lack of talent around him made things difficult in New England.

Jones finished his New England career with 8,918 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He especially struggled during his 2023 campaign, throwing for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Despite everything that went down in New England, Jones had nothing but positive things to say about Belichick.

“A lot of great learning experiences,” Jones said, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk’s Charean Williams. “Learned from a great head coach, obviously, one of the greatest of all time. Been fortunate to kind of work with some great head coaches and learned a lot. Played a lot of games. Started a lot of games. Obviously, things went the way they did. My goal was to get the train back on the tracks. I think I can do that here.”

It is truly a new era for the Patriots in more ways than one. It’s just hard to believe that the Jones-Belichick era started out so promising and ended so abruptly.

Mac Jones pens heartfelt goodbye to Patriots after being traded

Mac Jones thanks the Patriots in heartfelt goodbye letter to the team

Mac Jones is headed back home to Florida after being shipped off in a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The New England Patriots got a sixth-round pick in return for parting with their former 2021 first-round pick.

Few even considered this being the scenario that would play out after Jones’ Pro Bowl rookie season, but the situation collapsed rapidly over the last two years beyond repair.

Jones called the decision to part ways mutual, before sending out a thank you letter to Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, his former teammates and Patriots fans.

“The last three seasons with the New England Patriots are years I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Jones wrote. “I will always be grateful for my time in New England and for the opportunity to start my career in the NFL. To Mr. Kraft and the Kraft family, thank you for allowing me to make my dream of playing in the NFL come true. To Coach Belichick and all the training, equipment, strength, video staff, and everyone in between, thank you for all that you did to help prepare me over the years. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

“To my teammates, it was an honor to play alongside you these last three years and I will always cherish the friendships that we built. And finally, thank you to the fans for always showing up and supporting me and the Patriots. It has been a blessing to be a part of the Patriots organization and I will always have love for the New England community.”

Jones’ fallout in New England will be a case study of what could have been.

Many have pointed the finger at former Patriots coach Bill Belichick for failing to surround his young quarterback with steady offensive coaching, a reliable offensive line and receiving weapons.

However, for the individuals involved, it’s all in the past now. Belichick is currently mulling over his NFL future, while the Patriots and Jones are moving on to hopefully bigger and better things.

AFC East news: Mac Jones era ends, Patriots trade away QB

The #Bills will face a new #Patriots QB in 2024:

A new era is set to begin for the New England Patriots under center.

The Patriots have traded quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The transaction was announced on Monday, the first day of the NFL’s free agency period.

New England selected Jones out of Alabama in the first-round of the 2021 NFL draft. Now Jones will serve as backup to Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall selection in that same draft.

Jones only fetched the Pats a sixth rounder in return.

After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Jones’ career fell off a cliff under coach Bill Belichick. New England has already moved on from him as well. Jerod Mayo is now the new bench boss in New England.

Jones finished last year with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was eventually benched for Bailey Zappe.

The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft and they’ll likely use it on a quarterback.

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Here’s how Patriots broke trade news to Mac Jones

Here’s when Mac Jones found out he was being traded by the Patriots

The New England Patriots were honest with quarterback Mac Jones in regards to his future with the team. Jones knew about a potential trade well before a deal was agreed on with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Jones finished his career in New England with 8,918 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He now gets a chance to return to his home state in Florida, where he will back up Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence.

Jones was initially thought to be a franchise-caliber quarterback in New England, when he was drafted in the first round in 2021. Nevertheless, things did not materialize that way.

The Patriots told Mac Jones after the combine of their intention to trade him, and even asked the quarterback what he wanted to do. After working through that, and shopping him all week, New England found a suitor in the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a sixth-round pick in its back pocket, the Patriots fished around for a fifth Saturday, before finalizing the deal to send Jones to his hometown for the 192nd pick. The return, of course, isn’t great for a player picked 15th three years ago. But it’s reflective of the feeling that there just isn’t a ton of physical upside there in Jones.

Jacksonville could give Jones an opportunity to resurrect his career.

As for New England, they will get another chance to develop a rookie quarterback, assuming they take one with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. All eyes would be on their development process at the position, as they cannot afford to miss on a quarterback again.

Report: Broncos did not pursue QB Mac Jones

The Broncos did not make an offer for QB Mac Jones, according to 9News. The Patriots are trading him to the Jaguars for a 6th-round pick.

After the Denver Broncos parted ways with Russell Wilson, there was some speculation that coach Sean Payton might attempt to trade for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones.

That speculation was likely prompted by the fact that the Saints attempted to leapfrog the Patriots via trade to select Jones in the 2021 NFL draft, something they ultimately failed to do.

Three years later, New England made Jones available via trade. The Jacksonville Jaguars won the sweepstakes, agreeing to trade a sixth-round draft pick to the Patriots in exchange for Jones (the trade will not become official until the NFL’s new league year begins on Wednesday).

After the Jags and Pats agreed to terms, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that four teams were “in the mix” for Jones.  The Broncos never made an offer.

“The Broncos did their due diligence on Mac Jones before deciding not to engage in trade talks with New England,” KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported Sunday.

So the search for Wilson’s replacement continues in Denver. We are tracking all of the team’s free agency moves on Broncos Wire.

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Patriots QB Bailey Zappe liked social media post of Mac Jones being traded

Bailey Zappe liked a social media post on Mac Jones trade news

Everyone is reacting to the news that the New England Patriots are shipping quarterback Mac Jones off in a trade to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and that includes Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe, who liked a news piece on the trade on Sunday.

Now, it’s always possible that Zappe liked the post simply because he was happy for Jones’ new venture with a different team. Things obviously didn’t work out in New England.

Jones went from being a Pro Bowl quarterback in his rookie season to being No. 3 on the depth chart behind Zappe and Nathan Rourke in the 2023 regular season finale against the New York Jets.

Of course, there’s the other side of the coin, too.

The relationship between Jones and Zappe was reportedly rocky behind the scenes. NFL insider Albert Breer even went as far as saying things got so toxic between the two at one point that Zappe watched film in the wide receivers room.

Over the last two seasons, it has been a revolving door of both players starting and being benched. That finally ends with Jones heading to Jacksonville.

But what happens to Zappe?

That’s probably one of the biggest unanswered questions. Does he stick around as a backup to a rookie or some other veteran quarterback? Could he potentially be on the trade block at some point as well? Or, would the Patriots actually consider rolling him out as the starter again, while they work hard to improve other positions on the offense?

There are plenty of questions still lingering, but the good news is we won’t have to wait too much longer for answers.

Former Alabama QB Mac Jones traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars trading for former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones

The [autotag]Mac Jones[/autotag] era in New England has come to an end as the Patriots have agreed to send the former Alabama quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. Over the past couple of days, several people including the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had reported that the Patriots were exploring trade options, so the move doesn’t come as a total surprise. Especially with a new head coach and staff coming to Foxborough, a clean slate seemed like the best option for both parties.

While I am sure that Jones is bummed to relinquish a starting role, I think it is the best decision for him at this point in his career. Jones is originally from the Jacksonville area, so being back in a familiar area could be exactly what he needs. During his time with New England, Jones earned a bit of a reputation as a complainer and a dirty player, so it’s probably also good for him to step out of the spot light for a year or two.

Jones is only 25-years old, he is on a rookie contract and still has the upside of a former first-round pick so there is a lot to love. With Trevor Lawrence already on the roster it is unlikely that he will see meaningful playing time, but being around a quarterback friendly coach like Doug Pederson is exactly what he needs after having very poor offensive coaching the past few years.

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Mac Jones trade keeps dropping the 2021 draft QB class into deeper ignominy

5 QBs were drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. Only one has done enough to stay with the team that drafted him 3 years later.

Back in the 2021 NFL draft in Cleveland, Mac Jones famously strode his way into legend with his long, purposeful walk to the podium to be the next quarterback of the New England Patriots. Jones was the 15th overall pick in that draft and the fifth quarterback off the board in that draft class.

Now Jones gets to walk back to his hometown, Jacksonville. The Patriots kneecapped the Jones experiment and traded him to the Jaguars on Sunday. The price? A sixth-round pick in next month’s draft.

It didn’t work for Jones in New England. Unfortunately, that’s become the prevailing theme for the teams that took quarterbacks in the first three rounds of the 2021 draft.

In fact, Jones will now back up the only quarterback drafted in the first round of 2021 who will be with the team that selected him in 2024. Trevor Lawrence was the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, and to this point, he’s the only one of the five that hasn’t been a failure.

Sure, Justin Fields has had his moments and successes with the Chicago Bears. However, the Bears are moving on from Fields with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft, presumably Caleb Williams. Chicago earned the top overall pick in 2023 in part because Fields wasn’t successful enough. Fields is expected to be traded any day now for pennies on the initial draft dollar — just as Jones was.

That too will happen with the No. 2 overall pick, Zach Wilson. The Jets gave up on Wilson quickly, choosing to mortgage their future on Aaron Rodgers. Heck, they brought in Tim Boyle to play ahead of Wilson. He’s expected to be off the Jets roster before the ’24 draft, either via trade or release, if no team wants to give anything up for him. That wouldn’t be a surprise either, after three short seasons.

The third QB selected was also the No. 3 overall pick. Trey Lance has already been traded away by the 49ers, sent to Dallas last year for a 2024 fourth-rounder. After two seasons of barely playing — Lance threw 102 passes in two years for the 49ers — San Francisco happily accepted a Day 3 pick for Lance, a player they sacrificed three first-round picks to acquire in 2021.

Diving a little deeper in the 2021 QB class, Kyle Trask was the last pick of the second round. The Buccaneers brought in Tom Brady and then Baker Mayfield to play over him. He’s thrown 10 career passes, completing three of them. Mayfield is a free agent and there’s been zero talk about Trask maybe taking the reins.

The third-rounders didn’t work either. The Vikings abandoned ship on Kellen Mond (No. 66 overall) after just one game. He ended 2023 on the Colts practice squad. David Mills got a shot with the Texans as the No. 67 pick. He led the NFL in interceptions in 2022, winning just five of his 25 starts in two seasons. He now backs up C.J. Stroud.

Even Lawrence has taken some quiet criticism as the top pick. He led the league in INTs as a rookie and has had an up-and-down career with the Jaguars. He followed a deserved Pro Bowl berth in 2022 with an underwhelming 2023 when he lost his final five starts and threw as many INTs as TDs in that critical late-season collapse by Jacksonville.

Let the 2021 draft class serve as a cautionary tale for teams going crazy with dreams of grandeur stemming from their shot at drafting a first-round quarterback in 2024. Those dreams quickly proved delusional for 80 percent of the 2021 class.

Report: Patriots trading former first-round QB Mac Jones to Jaguars

The Patriots are reportedly trading Mac Jones to the Jaguars

The Mac Jones era has come to an end for the New England Patriots.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Sunday that the team was finalizing a deal to send their former first-round pick quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars are sending back the No. 192 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft as compensation.

After a Pro Bowl rookie season, Jones’ career fell off a cliff under coach Bill Belichick. The team failed to put the necessary weapons around him to be successful, but he also struggled with turnovers and inconsistent play under center.

He threw more interceptions than touchdown passes in 2023 and was benched for backup Bailey Zappe. By the season finale, he had fallen to No. 3 on the depth chart behind Zappe and Nathan Rourke.

Jones finished the season with 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

The Patriots own the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft, and they’ll likely use it on a quarterback. With this trade, they recoup some compensation on an expiring contract, and Jones gets to go to Jacksonville for a year as the backup for Trevor Lawrence.

This is the fresh start both sides needed.

Patriots working on trade to send Mac Jones to Jaguars

Mac Jones is headed to Jacksonville and the AFC South

The New England Patriots’ search for their next franchise quarterback will continue sans Mac Jones.

Multiple reports on Sunday said the AFC East cellar-dweller is working on a deal that would send their first-round pick in 2021 — 15th overall — to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-rounder.

The deal can not be completed until the NFL’s new year starts on Wednesday.

In Jacksonville, Jones would back up Trevor Lawrence.

It was a turbulent tenure for Jones in New England.

He was 10-7 as a starter in 2021 as a rookie. However, things fell apart, and he went 8-17 after that, frequently being benched and reinserted in the lineup.