Could Mac Jones’ days with the New England Patriots be numbered?
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had a great rookie season, but could the team go in a different direction for 2023 and beyond? Jones’ rookie season was historically good. He was a rather efficient passer, led his team to 10 wins, and led them into the playoffs.
By all accounts, it was a massively successful campaign. With Jones set to embark on year two, could there be a chance that the New England Patriots cut ties with the player after the season?
While some are projecting a year two breakout, some aren’t as high on the team or player because of their odd situation on offense. With both Joe Judge and Matt Patricia calling plays, the offense has been inconsistent during training camp, casting doubt on whether they can build on their 2021 season.
If Mac Jones takes a step forward, but not as big of a step as some are projecting, could the team look to go in a different direction?
With Bill Belichick being an old-school, defensive coach, he isn’t likely to change his coaching style as the league barrels toward being offensive-centric. If the Patriots miss the playoffs in 2022, that’ll make it two of the last three years that they failed to qualify.
Being that Belichick and Robert Kraft don’t have the best relationship, could Kraft elect to move on from Belichick if the 2022 season isn’t what he expects?
That would then put into doubt Mac Jones’ future, and while Jones is a good quarterback, the AFC is filled with exponentially more dynamic players like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert.
Mac Jones clearly does not have a ceiling as high as those players, so could he realistically see success in the AFC year after year?
Perhaps Mac Jones just isn’t quite good enough to make a mark in the AFC.
With Belichick playing weird games with the offense this season, it makes me think that the Patriots’ 2022 campaign won’t go well, and they’ll then decide to blow it up and start completely fresh.
Teams are hiring offensive coaches at an increasingly faster rate, so the Patriots might have to jump on that train soon.