Patriots reportedly trade Mac Jones to Jaguars
Jones's time with the Patriots ends after three seasons.
Mac Jones’s time with the Patriots is over.
The Patriots are trading the quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday. The two sides are working to finalize a deal that would give the Patriots a sixth-round pick, according to Schefter.
Following the end of a disappointing 4-13 season, reports emerged that the Patriots were preparing to cut ties with Jones this offseason. The quarterback struggled in his third season, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 77 passer rating. As Jones’s play further regressed from the 2022 season, he was benched in four games before Bailey Zappe became the Patriots’ starting quarterback for good in Week 13.
The end of Jones’s tenure in New England marked a steep decline from a promising rookie season. Jones, whom the Patriots selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, helped the team make the playoffs, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions with a 92.5 passer rating that season. He was also named a Pro Bowler that year and made the roster as an alternate.
But things began to change for Jones in 2022 following the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Jones struggled out of the gate and suffered an ankle injury in Week 3, which sidelined him for three games. Then-rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe led the Patriots to a 2-1 record in Jones’s absence, creating a quarterback controversy. Jones was benched after three drives in his return in Week 7, but he regained his starting job for the rest of the season the following week.
Still, Jones completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions with an 84.8 passer rating as the Patriots went 8-9. Rumors percolated following the season that there was tension between Jones and Bill Belichick due to the former Patriots head coach’s controversial decision to replace McDaniels with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Belichick even broached the idea of trading Jones to Patriots owner Robert Kraft in the 2023 offseason, ESPN’s Seth Wickersham reported in January.
Since Sunday’s news broke, there have been conflicting reports on the interest Jones drew on the trade market. Four teams were “in the mix” to acquire Jones, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. However, the Jaguars were the only team to make an offer to the Patriots for Jones, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reported.
It appears the Patriots were pushing to get a trade done prior to the start of the legal tampering period for free agents on Monday. The team was “calling around over the weekend” to offer Jones in a trade, hoping to get a fifth-round pick in return, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported.
The only other quarterbacks on the Patriots’ roster as of Sunday are Zappe and Nathan Rourke. It’s been rumored that they plan to take a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick and possibly sign a veteran in free agency, being linked to Baker Mayfield, Joe Flacco, and Jacoby Brissett, among others.
With the trade, the Patriots open up $2.7 million in cap space.
Jones, who was born in Jacksonville, returns to the area where he grew up. He’ll also get to back up another 2021 first-round pick, as Trevor Lawrence has turned into the Jaguars’ franchise quarterback.
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