3 teams who should call Patriots with Mac Jones openly on trade block
The New England Patriots selected Mac Jones 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, expecting him to replace the recently departed Tom Brady as their starter. Early returns were good, as Jones finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, made the Pro Bowl, and even helped the Patriots make the playoffs. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there.
Jones has struggled in each of the last two seasons and a rough 11-game stretch this past season led to the team ultimately benching him in favor of Bailey Zappe. In 11 games this season Jones completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,120 yards and 10 touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions. The Patriots were struggling mightily to put points on the board, and were just 2-9 when Jones took the field.
With Bill Belichick out and a new regime in place, chances are, the Patriots will want to move on from Jones and start fresh coming off their worst season in recent memory. Ian Rapoport practically confirmed it, as the Patriots reportedly appear open to trading Mac Jones and have already been receiving calls.
The #Patriots appear open to trading QB Mac Jones and teams have been calling them and doing work on the former starter, sources say. With a new coaching staff, a fresh start may make sense for all sides. pic.twitter.com/UQtUoKZT8m
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2024
With that in mind, these three teams should call the Patriots and see what it'd take to acquire Jones as both Jones and the team look for a fresh start.
3) The 49ers were once interested in drafting Mac Jones and might still be fans of his
Ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers reportedly traded up to the third overall pick with Mac Jones in mind. Kyle Shanahan was a fan of his until the team fell in love with and eventually drafted Trey Lance.
The Lance pick aged even worse than the Jones pick did for the Patriots. While Mac hasn't had tons of NFL success yet, perhaps Shanahan is still intrigued with the idea of acquiring Jones. It wouldn't take much to get him, and the Niners could use a backup.
Brock Purdy is the unquestioned starter, obviously, but the Niners don't have a backup on the roster right now. Both Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen are unrestricted free agents. While the Niners could re-sign one or both of those quarterbacks, they could also look to trade for Jones, especially with Purdy's cap hit being so low.
This landing spot wouldn't give Mac much of a chance to play without an injury, but he'll get to practice and learn from one of the great offensive minds in the league.