Getty New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones
2023 will be an important season for the New England Patriots and Mac Jones.
The pressure will be on the team as well as the quarterback and one NFL analyst believes that Jones is on the “hot seat” entering the 2023 regular season.
“The Patriots have at least taken some steps to improve their offensive output in 2023,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay. “Judge and Patricia are no longer prominently involved in the offense, with former Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien returning to New England for a second stint as the organization’s offensive coordinator.
“That move should aid Jones, but it’s looking like his leash is now much shorter,” Kay added. “If Jones doesn’t deliver with O’Brien calling plays, it could lead to him being demoted or dealt before 2024.”
After a rookie season that saw Jones go to the Pro Bowl, Jones threw for less than 3,000 yards in 2022 and also tallied 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions per Pro Football Reference. 2023 will be the year where he shows what he is truly capable of.
Another Reporter Disputes Rumors That the New England Patriots Want to Trade Mac Jones
All of New England and the NFL world was taken over by rumors of the Patriots shopping Jones this offseason. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that New England was shopping the quarterback but the report has been met with skepticism.
“The full list of potential destinations isn’t known,” Florio reported. “The teams mentioned as potential destinations were the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and Commanders.
“A team hoping to draft a quarterback could pivot to Jones, if that team doesn’t get the guy it wants,” Florio added. “The Raiders are the ones to keep watching. Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract lands in the low-end of middle class for starters, and Jones has two years left under a slotted rookie deal, before his fifth-year option would apply.”
MassLive’s Mark Daniels was one of the first to dispute the report and now Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald is reporting that Florio’s report was overexaggerated.
“Checking with league sources today, I found no belief the Patriots will trade Mac Jones,” Callahan tweeted. “One team source called the ‘shopped’ report nonsense. It struck others around the league as likely old news overstated. Jones was in the building today and has been regularly, per sources.”
The Mac Jones Rumor Clarified
While multiple reporters have disputed Florio’s report, he has come out and clarified his comments. While saying that Jones is a Patriot for now, Florio still believes that his spot on New England’s roster isn’t locked in.
“I think that for now, he’s a Patriot. He continues to be a Patriot. He’s gonna compete for playing time with Bailey Zappe and it just adds to the overall intrigue as to where this team is, where this team is heading and where it’s going to be a year from now. Who will the quarterback be? Who will the coach be? Who will anyone be on the roster? It’s felt never like this before, where so much is up in the air about the short-term and the long-term reality of this franchise.”