The New England Patriots were honest with quarterback Mac Jones in regards to his future with the team. Jones knew about a potential trade well before a deal was agreed on with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Jones finished his career in New England with 8,918 passing yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He now gets a chance to return to his home state in Florida, where he will back up Jaguars starter Trevor Lawrence.
Jones was initially thought to be a franchise-caliber quarterback in New England, when he was drafted in the first round in 2021. Nevertheless, things did not materialize that way.
The Patriots told Mac Jones after the combine of their intention to trade him, and even asked the quarterback what he wanted to do. After working through that, and shopping him all week, New England found a suitor in the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a sixth-round pick in its back pocket, the Patriots fished around for a fifth Saturday, before finalizing the deal to send Jones to his hometown for the 192nd pick. The return, of course, isn’t great for a player picked 15th three years ago. But it’s reflective of the feeling that there just isn’t a ton of physical upside there in Jones.
Jacksonville could give Jones an opportunity to resurrect his career.
As for New England, they will get another chance to develop a rookie quarterback, assuming they take one with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. All eyes would be on their development process at the position, as they cannot afford to miss on a quarterback again.
