(Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
When New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had a strong rookie season in 2021 and made the Pro Bowl, fans of the team felt it had found its next franchise signal-caller just a year after Tom Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Jones regressed a bit last season, and there are some who feel the Patriots would be better off going in a different direction at that position.
A few months back, a reporter asked head coach Bill Belichick if he envisions Jones starting at QB in 2023 or if the position needs to be re-evaluated, and he gave a non-committal answer.
From January:
Does Bill Belichick envision Mac Jones being his starting QB next season?
“Mac has the ability to play quarterback in this league…”pic.twitter.com/TJsRyzZJc2
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) April 6, 2023
Since then, rumors have continued to pour out about the uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position.
Jones threw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 67.6 percent of his passes as a rookie while guiding New England to a 10-7 record and a playoff appearance, and it led some to even consider him a dark-horse MVP candidate for 2022.
But his production fell to 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.
Granted, Jones missed three games with a sprained ankle, and while he was out, Bailey Zappe filled in admirably, which led some to say perhaps Zappe should take over the QB1 spot.
Regardless of who is under center, the Patriots look a little better on paper heading into next season.
They signed away wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster from the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, as well as tight end Mike Gesicki.
But the road to their seven world championship will be long and winding, and the destination of that journey is still many years away, as it is hard to imagine Jones being a championship QB at this point of his career.
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