Mac Jones has the full support of his New England Patriots teammates even if his second season in the league hasn't gone the way he'd like so far.

Jones struggled out of the gate, throwing seven interceptions in his first three games before suffering an ankle injury that cost him the next three outings and was benched in his first game back from injury. However, things have been a bit better for Jones recently. He completed 23-of-27 passes for 246 yards in a win over the New York Jets before throwing for a career-high 382 yards in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving night.

Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, who's also Jones' next door neighbor, remains a fan of the Patriots quarterback and has been impressed with how he's handled a relatively tough season.

“He’s doing a great job, man,” Henry said. “This year has been tough at times. Just going through an injury and battling his way back. It’s fun to see him have success and just the leader he is. We just continue to ride him throughout this whole year.

“He’s a stud. I’m glad he’s my quarterback. Glad he’s our quarterback. Excited to go out there and compete every single week with him.”

Henry believes that the performance and injury struggles (which included fans chanting for his backup to play at one point) Jones dealt with earlier this season was a good way for him to learn.

“I've been through a lot of adversity and so have other guys, but I think you learn a lot about yourself when you're kind of put through those hard things. You've just got to continue to grind and continue to push through it,” Henry added. “We're continuing to on that, still.

“He's done a great job, man. He continues to get better. His leadership is great. He's a fun guy to be around in the locker room, on the field and a fun guy to just go out there on Sundays, Thursdays, whatever day it is that we have to go out there, and go out between the white lines and compete with.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
2024 NFL Draft logo with Eliot Wolf, J.J. McCarthy, Devontez Walker and Ricky Pearsall

Conor Roche ·

Caleb Williams will go first, and then the Patriots and Vikings will play poker

Steve Silverman ·

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

Preston Byers ·

All of these things happening to Mac Jones came at the beginning of a year that's commonly viewed as the most pivotal for a quarterback – at least in terms of their growth. Coming off a season in which he led all rookie quarterbacks in all of the major passing stats and helped the Patriots reach the playoffs, Jones was voted to be one of the New England's captains.

Henry's noticed a change in Jones' leadership style, but in a good way.

“Last year you step into a role as a rookie, you kind of have to earn a little bit. You’re not just going to be a vocal leader all of a sudden,” Henry furthered. “But I feel like this year it’s really stepped up. He’s a lot more vocal. Telling guys how he sees things so we can talk through things. That’s what it’s all about. We’re the guys that have to go out there and compete. He’s the guy that has the ball in his hands pretty much every play.

“So I think his vocal leadership stepped up a ton. Just what he wants, what he sees, and communicating those things with us.”

Hunter Henry and the rest of the Patriots hope that Mac Jones' leadership and performance can continue to grow on Thursday, when they host the Buffalo Bills in a rematch of their playoff loss from last season.