Crimson Tide Product Mac Jones Will Most Likely End Up Elsewhere Next Season
Former Alabama standout quarterback Mac Jones has struggled with the New England Patriots over the past couple of seasons, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Super Bowl Sunday morning that the organization will probably move forward without him by next season.
“Even though Bill Belichick is gone, Mac Jones--who lost the starting role and ended up third string by the end of the 2023 season--is a trade candidate in the coming weeks and most likely will end up elsewhere for the 2024 season,” Pelissero said.
The Patriots have made a lot of moves in their coaching staff over the past few weeks, including parting ways with long-time head coach Bill Belichick and hiring former New England linebacker Jerod Mayo to become the future Hall-of-Famer's successor. Additionally, former Alabama standout Dont'a Hightower became the team's linebackers coach on Friday.
It doesn't seem like Jones will be a part of the rebuild/rebrand due to a variety of factors. Throughout the regular season, he was benched multiple times in the middle of games and was eventually demoted late in the year to the third-string spot on the depth chart. Through his 11 games in 2023, the 25-year-old completed 224 passes for 2,120 yards, with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
New England's offense was among the least productive in the league and most signs are pointing to them taking a quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
On Jan. 29 it was announced that the Patriots aren’t expected to pick up the fifth-year option on Mac Jones' contract, meaning he'd become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. However, as previously stated, Sunday's developments point to him not being with the organization next season, so this may not go into effect and/or his contract could change.
So, which team should give the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft a fresh start?
