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.
2) Mac Jones might thrive if he was traded to the Falcons
Mac Jones deserves a lot of blame for what transpired in New England, but it doesn't help that he had virtually nothing to work with on the offensive side of the ball. The Patriots' top wide receivers were Kendrick Bourne and DeMario Douglas, players who'd fit better as WR3's in most cases. Even in terms of running backs, New England had Rhamondre Stevenson who is solid but he's not Bijan Robinson.
The Atlanta Falcons are a team loaded with offensive talent who could just be a quarterback away from potentially winning the NFC South and making noise in the playoffs. They were in the hunt for the division until the end of last season despite starting guys like Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke under center.
At running back, the Falcons have Bijan Robinson who despite being used only sparingly, had nearly 1,000 yards in his rookie season. He had just 30 more carries than Ezekiel Elliot and had over 300 more rushing yards. Pass catchers on that team include Drake London and Kyle Pitts, two players who can be unlocked with Arthur Smith out of the way.
Mac won't and should not be Atlanta's first option, but they can at least bring him in to compete with whoever they end up with unless it's Kirk Cousins. With actual weapons to work with, he might open some eyes.
1) The Rams could use a backup quarterback like Mac Jones
The Los Angeles Rams don't present an opportunity for Mac Jones to play without an injury to their starter, Matthew Stafford, but they still make sense for a couple of reasons.
First, Stafford has missed time in each of the last two seasons due to injury and happens to also be 36 years old. There might be a chance for the Rams' backup to play, so the Rams should make sure they have a competent backup waiting in the wings. Jones might not be a franchise quarterback but he should be a fine backup.
Second, the Rams don't really have a clear backup right now. Carson Wentz is a free agent after spending some time with the Rams last season. Stetson Bennett is still there, but he was placed on the reserve/non-illness list last September and did not appear in a regular season game. It's unclear what his future is with the Rams.
Third, Mac can learn from a quarterback in Stafford who happens to still be among the best quarterbacks in the league. He can watch alongside Sean McVay and potentially even be next in line when Stafford retires.