5 teams that already regret not acquiring Lamar Jackson when they had the chance

4. New England Patriots

The New England Patriots entered a pivotal 2023 season, looking to put the prior campaign behind them. That saw head coach Bill Belichick put Matt Patricia in charge of the offense and Joe Judge as the quarterbacks coach. That had a negative impact on Mac Jones, who had a promising rookie season under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in 2021.

While the team wanted to see what they had in Jones, whom they spent a first-round pick on in 2021, Jackson is in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks. Upon Jackson's trade request, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was approached about potentially acquiring the quarterback. But Kraft left the decision up to Belichick. Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal reported that the Patriots were not expected to pursue or sign Jackson.

The Patriots would continue moving forward with Jones as their starter and brought in Bill O'Brien to be the team's new offensive coordinator. Even with the addition of the big-time assistant coach, Jones showed no improvement and was benched multiple times in 2023 for backup Bailey Zappe.

Jones threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while completing 64.9 percent of his passes. The quarterback had a 2-9 win-loss record as the starter.

The Patriots finished the season with a 4-13 record. Belichick and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways, ending the head coach's tenure at 24 years. Linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was promoted to replace him and will have to figure out their quarterback dilemma. With the No. 3 overall pick at their disposal, one has to wonder if it will be used on one of the top prospects.

One has to imagine the Patriots' lives would be that much better if they had traded for Jackson.