Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was named a captain for the first time ahead of his second season in the NFL on Wednesday. To his teammates, Jones' honor comes as no surprise.
Three of Jones' fellow captains spoke highly of the young quarterback's leadership on Thursday, saying why he deserved to be named a captain.
“I think Mac is a guy who’s come in with a lot of pressure, obviously, and he's just risen to every challenge he's had, ” Patriots safety Devin McCourty said. “I think it was a no-brainer. His leadership, his style of attacking the game that, not just his peers equal in age, but even the older guys took notice of him, too.”
Patriots center David Andrews noted that it's not just the captains nor the offense who recognized Jones' leadership, but the team as a whole.
“He’s done a great job,” Andrews said. “Lot of respect for how he carries himself, comes to work each day. Obviously, that shows what it means to the team because it’s a team vote.”
Jones was consistently either the first or second player out to the practice field during training camp, something that obviously impressed his teammates.
"Mac is a guy who came in with a lot of pressure and has risen to every challenge"
Devin McCourty on Mac Jones being named a captain pic.twitter.com/VCHTRneRPY
— NBC Sports Boston's Patriots Coverage (@NBCSPatriots) September 8, 2022
One of those teammates that's also been impressed by Jones' leadership is Nelson Agholor. The wide receiver, who wasn't named a captain, shared a few things Jones does that make him an effective leader for the Patriots.
“He leads by example,” Agholor said. “How he works, how he prepares, his consistency. Those are, like, exact examples of a great captain. Guys don’t always have to say a lot of stuff. But he does a lot of things well consistently. And, you know, I think if you work with him, you feed off of that.”
Agholor was able to witness Jones' leadership through much of the offseason. He, along with several Patriots receivers, took part in numerous throwing sessions with Jones. The quarterback organized the throwing sessions, holding several of them throughout the country, according to his teammates.
Patriots defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr., who was named a captain for the first time in his career on Wednesday, shared that Jones made an impact in the locker room from the moment he stepped in there as a rookie in 2021.
“Tremendous [impact],” Wise said. “He’s one of those types of guys who definitely, since Day 1, has been able to command the offense and command greatness around him. So he’s doing a great job from Year 1 to Year 2.”
Follow Us
Subscribe