Patriots QB Mac Jones Prioritizing Fun After 'Failure'
The 2022 season wasn't a fun one for the New England Patriots, and especially for quarterback Mac Jones.
After a strong rookie season in which he finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, Jones had a noticeable sophomore slump. His passing stats took a noticeable dip, and he even missed three games with injury. Jones even grew visibly frustrated at times during games, and overall didn't seem as happy as he did as a rookie.
This offseason, Jones has focused on rekindling his enjoyment for the game once again. However, he is making sure that he still has a bit of edge to him as a team leader.
“That’s one of the things this offseason I put a lot of thought into is enjoying the game,” Jones told reporters. “It’s good to have fun, but at the end of the day we’re out here working. Putting in work is the most important part. But we’ve got to just have that juice every day. It comes from the leader and the leaders of the team.”
Jones feels that maintaining a fun environment is key to being a leader and getting teammates to follow him as a leader. With some new faces on offense this season, Jones is prioritizing creating an enjoyable atmosphere for him and the unit as a whole.
“For me, I’ve always kind of been a fun person — in my opinion,” Jones said. “I think that’s why people like to play with me because we like to go out there and have fun and compete.”
As part of creating that environment, Jones has engaged in a bit of trash talking with his teammates. According to receiver Devante Parker, Jones is pretty good at it too, with the receiver complimenting his "quick, subtle" style.
Of course, Jones' main goal for this season is simple: win. The Patriots missed the playoffs in 2022 after making it in Jones' rookie year, and a frustrating performance on the field led to frustrations off of it. If New England could bounce back this season, it would surely ease some of those tensions.
“It always stems from winning, right? And to win you have to do a lot of really good things consistently all the time,” Jones said. “I think I need to do that better and just try and lead the team more so from the mental side and all that stuff. Obviously, the playing and physical stuff is there. I just have to go out there and try to lead.”
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