Despite outside speculation regarding the future of the quarterback position, the New England Patriots are reportedly committed to Mac Jones under center, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
There has been talk of a potential trade for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson or even promoting Patriots backup Bailey Zappe as a starter. But the team is seemingly all in on giving Jones another opportunity to prove himself as the future face of the franchise.
After speaking with team sources, Reiss wrote:
The Patriots are committed to seeing if Jones — who Belichick recently said has the skills to play in the NFL — can get back on track and realize the potential they identified in making him the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft.
Jones made the Pro Bowl in his first year with the team, when the offense still functioned at a high level under Josh McDaniels.
Things obviously took a turn for the worse after McDaniels left for the Las Vegas Raiders. So it makes sense for the team to want to give their young quarterback another crack at it with Bill O’Brien stepping in for Matt Patricia as the new offensive coordinator in 2023.
The Patriots also appear to be committed to getting Jones the necessary weapons to compete on the offensive side of the ball. They signed wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight end Mike Gesicki and running back James Robinson through free agency, and they still could look to add another playmaking receiver in the draft.
If they can put the pieces in play for Jones to take things to the next level, the onus will fall completely on the former first-round draft pick to live up to those high expectations.
