On the heels of a promising rookie campaign with the New England Patriots, quarterback Mac Jones has his sights set on improving his game for the 2022 season.

Jones recently took some time to speak to the Patriots’ team media, where he noted that he has an eye on helping to make the offense a more prolific one for next season.

“I want to be back close to home in New England in the offseason because we obviously have our place there,” Jones said. “Just figuring out ways to become a better quarterback and then do whatever we can to put more points up on the board so we can win more games.”

Overall, Jones had quite a stout debut season with the Patriots. He beat out Cam Newton for the Patriots starting quarterback job ahead of Week 1, and he did not look back from there. He recorded 22 passing touchdowns and posted a 92.5 passer rating in 17 regular season games en route to a 10-7 finish. More so, he orchestrated formidable performances over the season, which included a pair of three-passing touchdown showings against the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the big picture, Jones had quite a roller-coaster past year, as he went straight into preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft after leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to triumph in the College Football Playoff. And after a chaotic opening season in New England, Jones sure is much pleased that he can now put aside time to evaluate his overall play.

“I think back to my freshman year at Alabama,” Jones said. “You’re kind of figuring everything out and then you get older and you’re just more experienced. Everything: The media, the games, everything. I think that’s the fun part of about everything in the offseason. You get a second to just catch your breath and figure everything out. This has definitely been the longest year.

“It’s been like almost two years of football. I love football. I love to keep going as best I can but it’s always good to step away and evaluate what you can get better at too.”

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was much fond of the development from Jones in his rookie campaign, which he plans to further evaluate in the offseason.

“Mac helped us a lot and we look forward to working with him next year,” Belichick said in his end-of-season press conference. “We all have things we need to work on and that goes for every player and that’ll be part of the conversation with every player and for the coaching staff, what we all individually and collectively need to improve on. And so, that’s a process that we go through with each player and so there’s no need to single out anybody because there’s nobody to single out.”

The Patriots will have a hefty task ahead to build around Jones for the 2022 season, especially as the likes of veteran right tackle Trent Brown, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers and running back James White will all become unrestricted free agents in March.

A multitude of high-profile offensive talents will be available in the upcoming free agency period, although it remains to be seen whether the team plans to go all out to revamp the offense in order to provide the unit with a fighting chance to dethrone the Buffalo Bills in the AFC East next season.