3 Patriots who won't be back after being eliminated from playoff contention

Mac Jones' time with the Patriots may be coming to an end

The New England Patriots need to address the quarterback position. Once Tom Brady left in free agency after the 2019 season, filling his shoes was always going to be a massive undertaking. In 2021, the team used their first-round pick on Mac Jones, and after his rookie season, it looked like they found Brady's successor.

After a rookie season in which he threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while completing 67.6 percent of his passes. Jones was runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and helped lead the Patriots to a playoff berth. But after this season, things went downhill for Jones.

Josh McDaniels, Jones' offensive coordinator in his rookie year, left to become the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. Head coach Bill Belichick instead made Matt Patricia, a longtime defensive assistant, the offensive playcaller and Joe Judge, a special teams coach, the quarterbacks coach. Things went predictably bad with Jones regressing.

This past offseason, the Patriots seemingly found the answer for Jones at the offensive coordinator position, bringing in Bill O'Brien. But Jones has been unable to replicate his rookie success and was highlighted by being benched for Bailey Zappe in multiple games this season. Now, Jones has been relegated to backup behind Zappe.

Through 11 games, Jones threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, while completing 64.9 percent of his passes.

The Patriots are in position to take one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft in either USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye. With that, there are only so many quarterback spots available. Considering Jones will only account for $4.9 million in dead money next season, the Patriots could easily move on from him in either a trade or release.