New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has been the subject of a lot of speculation as of late.

Following a disappointing 2022 season in which the Patriots went 8-9, missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons, the signal-caller could be on his way out of Foxborough. In fact, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reports that Jones' name was mentioned in trade talks multiple times .

“While those calls are being made,” Breer begins, “Mac Jones' name came up a few times.”

“I do know his name came up in trade discussions with a couple of teams,” Breer reiterated. “I think the issue now is they wouldn't get great value for him.”

In the 2022 season, Jones was in just his second season as the starting quarterback for the Patriots. However, going 6-8 as a starter and throwing 11 interceptions to just 14 touchdowns, nobody can blame Belichick for wanting more out of the young quarterback.

That said, the problems don't all fall on Jones.

The departure of longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was a major loss for Jones individually and the Pats as a team. Making former special teams assistant Joe Judge the quarterbacks coach and subsequently, their offensive assistant hasn't seemed to work out either.

Unfortunately for Jones, the no-nonsense Belichick doesn't appear willing to give him a longer leash or much leeway.

“[Belichick] feels like Mac made the problem worse,” says Breer. “I know there are other people in the building that feel the same way.”

Jones, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, signed a four-year deal with the Patriots with a fifth-year team option.