Rob Ninkovich rips Mac Jones, says he wanted to ‘smack’ former Patriots QB

"I'll smack the [expletive] out of [expletive] Mac Jones. I don't care."

Rob Ninkovich did not hold back in his criticism of Mac Jones over the weekend. (Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis)

September 2, 2024

2 minutes to read

Rob Ninkovich apparently wasn’t the biggest fan of Mac Jones in New England.

The former Patriots linebacker and two-time Super Bowl champion didn’t mince words about the former New England quarterback in the latest episode of the “Dan and Ninko Show” podcast — calling out the former first-round pick while praising the early returns put forward by Drake Maye.

“Look at freaking Mac Jones down in Jacksonville right now. He’s griddying all over the place,” Ninkovich said of Jones, who carved out a backup role behind Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville after a strong preseason.

When co-host Dan O’Brien noted that Jones apparently does not like Ninkovich, the former pass-rusher did not hold back with his barbs against Jones.

“I don’t give a [expletive],” Ninkovich said. “I’ll smack the [expletive] out of [expletive] Mac Jones. I don’t care. Do you care if somebody doesn’t like you? … “… I hope he has a great career as a backup and makes a ton of money.”

Even though Jones led all NFL QBs with a 115.9 passer rating during preseason play with the Jaguars, Ninkovich stressed that it was time for the Patriots to move on. He added that he’s been impressed with how Maye has handled the pressure of being the next franchise hopeful in New England.

“It didn’t work out. They needed a change,” Ninkovich said. “The demeanor alone between Mac Jones and Drake Maye are completely different.”

Ninkovich then offered up an impression of Jones and his usual comments during New England’s post-game press conferences during his three seasons with the Patriots.

“I couldn’t listen to, ‘Yeah, you know, I’ve just got to keep working and got to get better and um, you know, I’m just going to keep working hard, and we’re just … everybody together and um, yeah, it’s wasn’t my best and I’ve got to be better.’ Over and over and over and over again,” Ninkovich said.

“I’d rather listen to Drake Maye talk than, ‘Yeah, my modeling career didn’t work out, so, um, now I’m back down here in Jacksonville.'”

It’s unclear what kind of history there is between Ninkovich and Jones, but it’s obvious that Ninkovich is glad that the Patriots are entering the 2024 season with a revamped QB room between Maye and Brissett.