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Patriots insider: Bill Belichick will not trade Mac Jones, won’t draft a quarterback in 1st round of 2023 NFL Draft
"Mac Jones will be here and the Patriots will not draft a quarterback.”
Bill Belichick is reportedly not looking to overhaul the Patriots’ quarterback corps during the 2023 NFL Draft.
According to Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston, New England isn’t looking to deal Mac Jones during the draft this week, nor is Belichick planning to target a quarterback with the team’s 14th overall pick.
“After speaking to people today, I’ve said previously that over Robert Kraft’s dead body would Mac Jones be traded. We could probably also include Bill Belichick,” Curran said on NBC Sports Boston’s “Early Edition” show. “I was told today that Bill Belichick does not want to trade Mac Jones.
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“Robert Kraft, we already know does not want to trade Mac Jones. The Patriots will not be trading Mac Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Mac Jones will be here and the Patriots will not draft a quarterback.”
It’s been a rocky offseason for Jones. The young signal-caller struggled in his second season in New England amid the dysfunction found in the Patriots’ coaching ranks, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
In the subsequent months of the NFL offseason, Jones’ name has been tossed around in trade rumors, while Belichick himself has remained non-committal about naming a definitive QB1 for the 2023 season between Jones and Bailey Zappe.
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Still, even if Belichick is reportedly still irked by Jones seeking help from outside the organization during last year’s turmoil, New England should be interested to see how Jones responds with a full year of working with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.
The Patriots might want to see what Jones can offer in his third season in the NFL ranks. But the team has still done its due diligence on multiple QB prospects in the weeks leading up to Thursday’s first-round selections.
New England reportedly hosted Kentucky QB Will Levis for a pre-draft meeting last week, while the team also conducted formal interviews with Florida’s Anthony Richardson during the NFL scouting combine back in March.
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