The New England Patriots saw some regression from second year quarterback Mac Jones. How should they handle him going forward into 2023? His rookie season was incredibly promising, which led to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth.
Then, in year two, Jones clearly took a step back, but some don’t really know who is mainly at fault. Could it be that Mac Jones truly did regress in year two and is not as good as he was as a rookie? Yes. Is it also possible that Matt Patricia, the play-caller on offense for the Patriots, should shoulder most of the blame? Yes.
The situation with the team and Mac Jones is weird, to me. It’s clear that Jones has an ability to play quarterback in the NFL, but it’s also clear that his ceiling is pretty low. He’s more Kirk Cousins and Derek Carr than Josh Allen or Joe Burrow.
He’s accurate, intelligent, and can throw receivers open, but he doesn’t do anything special with his legs and is hardly a threat to run. His arm is fine, but nothing special.
Is Mac Jones someone the Patriots see themselves completing for a Super Bowl with? I don’t think so. Consider some of the quarterbacks who are remaining in the NFL playoffs:
Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones.
Most of the signal callers left in the playoffs are either dual threat players or are elite passers, and I’m not sure Mac Jones is either of those. Given that New England does have about $50 million in cap space for 2022, I could see them trying to pursue a significant QB upgrade if one is there.
What if Lamar Jackson requests a trade? What if the San Francisco 49ers are open to trading Trey Lance?
I’m not sure what the situation ends up being, but the case of Mac Jones and the Patriots is an interesting one.