Mac Jones' Patriots career might be nearing it's end
After being benched several times during the 2023 NFL Season thus far, New England Patriots' QB Mac Jones seems to be headed to the bench "officially." Honestly, this seems long overdue. Mac Jones has been absolutely horrid for the Patriots this year, and it seems like this era in New England might be nearing its end.
The team is 2-9 and probably have a .000000001% chance of making the playoffs this year. At this point, the Pats should see what they have in other QBs on the roster, and backup QB Bailey Zappe seems to be getting the nod for Week 13:
The Patriots are preparing QB Bailey Zappe to start Sunday against the Chargers, per sources. It should be his job this week if all goes as expected.
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) November 30, 2023
Is Bailey Zappe better than Mac Jones? Eh, probably not. But I think everyone has seen enough of Jones, who has seriously regressed since his encouraging 2021 rookie season where the Patriots won 10 games and clinched a playoff spot. They were actually the #1 seed in the AFC at times in 2021, which is crazy to think about.
Well, that honeymoon phase is long gone, and the Pats are closer to earning the #1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft than anything else. Right now, they hold the third overall pick, which could be high enough to land someone like UNC quarterback Drake Maye. USC quarterback Caleb Williams is probably going #1 overall to the Chicago Bears, but the Arizona Cardinals, who hold the second overall pick, might want to keep Kyler Murray as their franchise QB.
Anyway, Mac Jones has been bad this year. Like, really bad. He's thrown for 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions for a 77 passer rating. Statistically, he's among the worst starters in the NFL and is clearly having the worst year of his short career. The Mac Jones era seems to be coming to a screeching halt, and probably for the better.
I think the New England Patriots should see what kind of teams would be interested in trading for Jones, even if it's for a late-round pick. I think a fresh start is needed for both sides. There are also questions about Bill Belichick and his stance with the organization. With as bad as the team has been this year, I think it's even time for Belichick to move on.
The Patriots need to totally clean house, and the two most notable people within the organization might be on their way out.