Mac Jones heads back to his hometown of Jacksonville to back up Trevor Lawrence.
According to league sources who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday, the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars are nearing completion of a trade for quarterback Mac Jones.
Schefter was informed by insiders that the two parties had been debating a sixth-round draft selection as payment. The deal cannot be completed unless Jones passes a physical on Wednesday, the start of the new league season. The link of his tweet is below https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1766843436013900080?s=20
The Patriots have the third pick in the NFL draft, and many in the league anticipate that they will choose one of the best quarterbacks, most likely Drake Maye of North Carolina or Jayden Daniels of LSU.
Mac Jones, a native of Jacksonville, signs with his native team to serve as Trevor Lawrence’s backup. Lawrence is the first choice in the 2021 draft. Jones was chosen with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Mac Jones will likely go off against C.J. Beathard to be Lawrence’s main backup. Beathard inked a two-year, $4.5 million contract prior to the 2023 season, and he is currently in the final year of it.
In his three seasons in Jacksonville, Beathard has only started one game. In Week 17 of the previous season, he led the Jaguars to a 26-0 win over the Carolina Panthers by passing on 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards. The Jaguars finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs; that was their lone victory among their final six games.
Since the Jaguars selected him first overall in 2021, Lawrence had started every NFL game. However, he was out for the Panthers game due to the right (throwing) shoulder injury he sustained in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the previous week. Last season, Lawrence fought a number of injuries, including a sprained left knee, sprained ankle, concussion, and shoulder injury. Lawrence is considered a tough guy who can play with injuries and is always available for his team in every thick and thin.
Mac Jones’ three-year career with the Patriots started off well; during his debut year, he was chosen as an alternate for the Pro Bowl. Jones started every one of the Patriots’ 17 regular-season games as they finished 10-7 and guaranteed a spot in the wild-card round of the playoffs (falling to the Buffalo Bills 47-17).
As a rookie, Mac Jones performance was good with 352 of 521 for 3,801 yards, with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions; but, over the next two seasons, his output down-trended. The first of several personnel and coaching changes that had an impact on Jones’ growth was the leaving of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to take a position as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
As the team’s offensive playcaller in 2022, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick turned to experienced defensive coach Matt Patricia, urging Patricia to carry out his new offensive philosophy. Joe Judge, a longtime special teams coach, was appointed quarterbacks coach. Judge, Patricia, and Jones’ marriage didn’t work out as planned; Jones completed 288 of 442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Jones also experienced an ankle injury early in the season, and he admitted that he could have made better decisions on the field but he couldn’t do it.
In an attempt to get Jones back on track, Belichick then brought in past Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to oversee the offense in 2023, but it never worked out. With 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his final 245 of 345 passes for 2,120 yards last season, Jones was benched by Belichick after 11 games to make way of Bailey Zappe.
Fans were greatly disappointed by his lackluster performance, and Belichick is also under fire for his careless errors on the field.
On the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart right now are second-year player Nathan Rourke and Zappe.
The squad only received one pick overall and one extra pick in the sixth round of the draft since they only had one pick in each round of the draft.
Sajjad ali is a versatile sports writer, is a maestro of the written word in the world of sports. With an in-depth knowledge of NBA, NFL, golf, and various sports, he crafts compelling narratives that captivate readers. His insightful analysis set him apart in the sports journalism arena. A multi-talented storyteller, his work resonates with sports enthusiasts across the globe, making him a go-to source for sporting insights. His passion for diverse sports shines through every line he pens.
1 thought on “Patriots QB Mac Jones traded to Jaguars”