At least one NFL analyst thinks Mack Jones won’t stick with the Patriots.
Instead, New England will use a high draft pick on another quarterback.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. In this week’s Mailbox, a reader asked a question about Jones.
The news wasn’t good for Jones, a former Alabama standout and 2021 first-round pick.”I don’t think Jones lost,” Breer wrote. “It was a lost cause in New England. Breer doesn’t think Jones is the starter new Patriots coach Jerod Mayo replaced Bill Belichick last month. Breer explained Jones’ toxicity. “It’s hard to live through history with an NFL team,” Breer wrote. “And Jones’ relationship with the New England Patriots is not good.
He was drafted 15th overall and is no closer to taking his spot. He was good as a rookie and has only gotten worse since then. Although initially highly regarded, over time he lost support for the building. The quarterback room he’s been in the last two years has been toxic. Bailey Zappé occasionally watched tape in the receiving room during his rookie year. “Jones only played in 11 games last season.
On Thanksgiving, Belichick decided to go in a different direction at quarterback. Mayo were on the defensive. But he still saw what was happening on the offensive side of the ball. Jones had 12 interceptions with just 10 hits. He also threw for 2,120 yards.”There are many injuries, some that try to heal themselves, some that never heal, injuries that Jerod Mayo saw firsthand as a Patriots assistant,” Breer wrote.
“You can’t snap your fingers and make that history go away with the coaches and the staff. What if Jones comes back and takes a hit in the offseason, in training camp or early in a game? Everything immediately goes back to history. That could hamper Jones’ development and make Mayo a difficult place to make the first team.” So what do the Patriots do? They had the third pick in April’s NFL draft. That means he could potentially be in the top four of a historically elite class. With the NFL Scouting Combine just two weeks away, USC’s Caleb Williams is the consensus top selection. Next up will be North Carolina’s Drake May or LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
As many as six quarterbacks are expected to go in the first round, but the next three include Michigan’s JJ McCarthy, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix.Breer projects Jones to a team like the 49ers, where he can serve as a backup and resume his career.
