Patriots' Veteran Leader Surprisingly Endorses Mac Jones
You won't find many in Foxborough who still back Mac. One of the most prominent New Englanders, however, publicly did so, even though the door seems shut on the doomed franchise quarterback's New England Patriots prospects.
Appearing on NFL Network's Good Morning Football, Judon offered Jones a de facto reference letter if/when the Patriots opt to cut ties.
"When Mac was comfortable, and he had a good system, he produced and he put up numbers," Judon said.
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To Judon's point, Jones put up a strong rookie season after coming over as the first homegrown heir to Tom Brady's throne. The 15th pick of the 2021 draft posted a 92.5 passer rating and 22 touchdown passes en route to securing an AFC Wild Card berth.
A November 2021 visit from the Cleveland Browns left a particularly large impact on Judon, who watched Jones complete 19-of-23 passes, three of which went for scores, in a 45-7 shellacking. It was part of a seven-game winning streak that saw Jones post a 106.1 passer rating.
But with constant turnover both on the offensive line and coaching staff, Jones hardly resembled the thrower that came in the runner-up spot in the 2021 vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year behind Ja'Marr Chase). Things bottomed out this year, with Jones banished to the bench after 11 games, more or less ending his tenure as the franchise quarterback.
"We know he can do it," Judon said. "He has to find his confidence, his stride, and get a rhythm under him."
Jones has one more year left on his contract though the Patriots are reportedly already on the hunt for his successor. Judon believes that Jones could pen a redemption tale that mirrors that of Baker Mayfield's, as the former Cleveland washout is now one of the hottest passing commodities on the market after a stellar season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"I think once you catch a stride, catch a rhythm, that’s what they were talking about with Baker,” Judon said. "Now we’re talking about (Mayfield) being one of the first people off the board in free agency.”
If Jones is destined for a Mayfield-style resurrection, the Patriots hired the right man to oversee the job: if Jones stays, his future Foxborough endeavors will be supervised by Alex Van Pelt, who guided Mayfield to the finest box scores of his Cleveland career as the offensive coordinator.
