Jaguars QB Mac Jones' Former Teammate: 'Bill Belichick Did Not Do Right By Mac Jones'

For Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones, 2024 is a redemption year.

No, Jones will not push for a role as the starting quarterback like he did in his first three seasons in the NFL. But he will be in a new system that, while not designed for him, will not be lead by coaches with little previous offensive experience like he was in his last stop.

During an appearance on The Athletic Football Show podcast, former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris explained just how much 2022 and 2023 took a toll on Jones and why he thinks the Jaguars' new quarterback was ousted.

“What happened to Mac Jones in New England, was not because of Mac Jones," Harris said. "It was because of the fact you took away an offensive coordinator who coached him to be a Pro-Bowler and almost coached us to winning our division with a rookie quarterback in his first year."

"Then you take Matt Patricia who’s coached defense his entire life. Joe Judge who’s been a special teams coach and coached receivers at some point, and then you just throw them in there and say, ‘Hey, coach this kid up. He’s a first round pick, but as long as you teach him what I say, everything gonna be fine.’"

This is clearly not sour grapes from Harris, either, because the Patriots seemed to agree when they made Bill O'Brien their offensive coordinator in 2023.

S**t wasn’t fine. Now Mac Jones is in Jacksonville, now they are onto Drake Maye. It is like the breath of Mac Jones in New England — it came and went. It shouldn’t have went the way that it went," Harris said.

"The only reason that it did was because Bill Belichick, being stuck in his ways, was very much so ‘As long as I am here. As long as I am, along with Robert Kraft, the top dog at this organization ... we will have success.’

The Patriots were hoping Jones would be the new successor to Tom Brady when they made him a first-round pick in 2021 after a lack of answers at the position in 2020. But, as Harris explained, they ensured this would not succeed.

"Then we drafted Mac. We had a hell of a year that year. It was my third year in the league and it was his first year. Had a hell of a year," Harris said.

"Then the next year after that you replace Josh McDaniels with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge and then look at the year we had that year and then the following year, and now Mac Jones is all of a sudden gone. I think that everybody can look at what I just said. And ultimately, just watch it for what it was and kinda say that maybe Bill Belichick did not do right by Mac Jones.”

Jones was the No. 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after a strong final season at Alabama. His rookie year was his best season in New England, with Jones going 10-7 as a starter and throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Jones regressed in 2022, going 6-8 in 14 starts and throwing for 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

Jones' final run with the Patriots came in 2023, with the former first round pick starting 11 games and going 2-9 in the process before heading for the bench. In his third season, Jones threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

As for Jones, he has mostly kept things focused on the present and the future since landing in Jacksonville via a March trade for a sixth-round pick.

"Yeah, I have all the respect in the world for those guys up there. They’re my first team, they drafted me in the first round, I can’t thank them enough," Jones said after arriving to Jacksonville.

"Obviously, we kind of just decided the mutual parting of ways was the best decision for both of us, and for me, it was just about moving on and getting back home. I can’t be more excited. For them, it’s about moving forward and turning the page. Really, that’s what we decided and I think it’s a great decision.”

So far, things have gone well for Jones in Jacksonville as he settles in as the team's No. 2 quarterback behind Trevor Lawrence.

"He's the ultimate pro. He's done a great job since he's been here, spending time studying the offense, getting caught up in the offense. You can see why I liked him coming out of college, when looking at quarterbacks back then. We're excited to have him," Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said last month.

"Gives us a great room with he and C.J. [QB C.J. Beathard] as kind of competing in that role, and he's done a nice job. Throws a really good ball. He's smart, he's eccentric, he can be a little quirky as times. You see him on the field doing some different things, but that's the joy and the fun I think that he wanted to get back to a little bit, and he's done a great job for us.