Mac Jones ‘excited’ to work with Bill O’Brien, believes it’s been a ‘good’ offseason so far
Jones believes a "great year" lies ahead for the Patriots and their offense.
Even though questions about his future with the Patriots have lingered for a good portion of the offseason, Mac Jones believes he’s had a good offseason to this point and is looking forward to the 2023 campaign.
Jones seemed happy about Bill O’Brien’s arrival as the offensive coordinator when asked about him in an interview with WBZ-TV’s Steve Burton at the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South in Brockton.
“I think we’re all excited for this next year, and it just starts with putting your head down and going to work,” Jones said when asked about his working relationship with O’Brien. “We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s all about how you come together as a team — players, coaches, everybody.
“So I’m excited to work with [O’Brien], and I know we all are, and it’s gonna be a great year. We’ve just gotta put the work in.”
Initial reports claimed that Jones was excited about the Patriots’ decision to hire O’Brien, who he briefly worked with at Alabama when he was preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft while O’Brien was beginning as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator.
O’Brien’s return to New England came after a tumultuous 2022 season for Jones and the rest of the Patriots’ offense. Jones took a step back in his play his sophomore season, throwing for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 14 games as the offense floundered, ranking 26th overall and 32nd in red zone efficiency.
Jones’s play, plus the way he reportedly handled the Patriots’ unusual coaching setup with Matt Patricia calling plays and Joe Judge coaching the quarterbacks, led to questions about his future in New England. Jones sought help on how to fix the offense from members outside the Patriots, which upset Bill Belichick, according to multiple reports. Another report said that Jones had been shopped by Belichick in trades this offseason, though the details of that report have been debated.
Belichick hasn’t outright said that Jones is the starting quarterback for the Patriots in 2023 when asked about it twice so far this offseason. Bailey Zappe also told reporters Wednesday that he’s preparing for whatever opportunity awaits him.
Despite all of that noise though, Jones didn’t have a bad thing to say about how things have transpired this offseason.
“[The offseason has] been good,” Jones said. “I think it’s important to just evaluate everything. Obviously, a day like today, it takes your mind off football and you get to enjoy the kids. But I’ve definitely been giving it a lot, just like every year, and just super excited to get back with the guys here soon and get to work.”
In addition to the changes on the offensive coaching staff, some of the talent around Jones changed, too. His top target over the first two seasons of his career, Jakobi Meyers, left to sign a deal with the Raiders in free agency. Tight end Jonnu Smith was also traded to the Falcons.
But both players were replaced in some form. JuJu Smith-Schuster agreed to a deal with the Patriots the day after Meyers left and tight end Mike Gesicki signed a one-year deal with the team, too.
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