Getty Replacing Mac Jones with a 4-time Pro Bowler is deemed a "nightmare scenario" for the New England Patriots.
The New England Patriots will need help at quarterback whether Bill Belichick is head coach next season or not. One option would be to use free agency, but replacing Mac Jones with four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins represents a “nightmare scenario” for the Pats.
If Belichick gets to rebuild after this season, “he could talk himself into making a move for a guy like Kirk Cousins, though. Before the Achilles tear that ended his season and the Patriots started racking up too many losses, there was speculation that the two parties made sense for each other,” according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine.
However, Ballentine doesn’t think Cousins belongs with a Patriots team not “even close to contending.” Instead, “it’s draft or bust for New England in 2024, and Cousins will have better suitors.”
There’s some logic to this view, since the Patriots appear primed for a reset. Yet, that would depend on Belichick’s future.
If the 71-year-old is still in charge in 2024, he may prefer working with a proven commodity at football’s most important. Especially after going the rookie route didn’t work with Jones.
Kirk Cousins Would Solidify Patriots’ QB Woes
Cousins has his detractors, despite posting career numbers most quarterbacks would envy. The 35-year-old Minnesota Vikings starter has posted seven 4,000-yard seasons and thrown 270 touchdown passes.
A torn Achilles ended Cousins’ latest season in Week 8, but he’d already thrown for 18 touchdowns. Including this one to Justin Jefferson against the Carolina Panthers.
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Throwing on the run off of play-action has long been a strength of Cousins’ game. Ever since he played for Mike and Kyle Shanahan in Washington from 2012-14.
Play action and moving pockets have hardly been features of New England’s offense this season. Jones has attempted just 51 passes off play action in 11 games, per Pro Football Reference.
The lack of play-action passing is directly tied to the Patriots’ lack of big plays through the air. Jones was averaging just four completed air yards per completion before being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe against the New York Giants in Week 12.
Cousins, by contrast, has averaged over six completed air yards in each of the last four seasons.
The numbers show Cousins would be an upgrade for the Patriots, but a veteran coming off a long-term injury wouldn’t generate the same excitement as a premium draft pick. It’s why ESPN’s Field Yates considers the Patriots “a stone-cold lock” to draft a QB.
A rookie passer will have a better chance of being developed in a new system with a new coach.
Bill Belichick’s Future Will Decide Patriots’ QB Situation
An end to Belichick’s lengthy time in New England “feels inevitable,” according to The Ringer’s Nora Princiotti. The sentiment is shared by Jeff Howe of The Athletic, who wrote, “it feels increasingly likely Belichick’s historic run with the organization could be coming to an end.”
If the Patriots do move on, equipping a new head coach with a potential franchise quarterback is the obvious move. There are no shortage of candidates for a team currently set to own the second pick in the 2024 NFL draft, according to Tankathon.
That pick puts the Patriots within range of the top prospects. Passers like USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. A potential Belichick replacement like Ben Johnson, currently offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, would accelerate the development of either signal-caller.
At this stage of his career, Belichick may not welcome the inevitable transition that comes with starting a rookie passer. Instead, he might prefer adding an established presence like Cousins alongside a tough defense to book a quick return to the postseason.
Cousins is no “nightmare scenario” for the Patriots. Yet if he signs, the likelihood is Belichick will still be in charge, ruling out the radical overhaul the franchise needs.