Amid all the speculation, the New England Patriots seem to be ready to officially end the Mac Jones experiment. The team is fielding trade calls for the former national championship-winning quarterback, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
With free agency starting soon and the NFL Draft a little more than six weeks away, the Pats might want to fully usher in a new era of Foxborough football. Jones was the No. 15 overall pick in 2021 and finished second for Offensive Rookie of the Year before things unraveled the next two seasons.
Many fans will argue that he was never afforded a meaningful opportunity to succeed in New England. Former head coach Bill Belichick failed to assemble a productive group of pass-catchers around the young QB and confusingly entrusted Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to handle offensive coordinator duties during the 2022-23 campaign. Jones rapidly regressed, throwing for 5,117 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in his last 25 games.
Perhaps the biggest indicator that a split is needed for both sides is that the 25-year-old appeared to be visibly frustrated with his situation. The blame cannot solely fall on Belichick and the Patriots organization, though. Jones' decision-making skills were downright baffling on several occasions, as he recklessly forced passes across the field into heavy coverage and struggled to quickly make the right reads.
If Mac Jones is headed elsewhere as everyone expects, he will have to prove that there is untapped potential waiting to rise to the surface. Under new head coach Jerod Mayo, there is a possibility the Patriots will draft a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick, so as not to delay this ongoing rebuild any longer. Regardless of how they address the position, the QB room is likely going to look much different.
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