NFL Rumors: Even if Mac Jones starts, Patriots locker room is ‘done’ with QB

It was a long time coming. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has reportedly lost the locker room a little over halfway through the 2023 season.

Jones' anemic performance under center this season is one of many factors contributing to the Patriots' current offensive woes. He was recently benched at the end of the team's loss to the Colts after he threw a red-zone pick, paving the way for Bailey Zappe to close out the game.

Will Jones or Zappe be the Patriots' starter moving forward? That's still unclear.

What is clear is that according to one media source, the Patriots' squad is done with Jones. The Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan said on Wednesday that "Jones' support is vanishing" in the wake of Week 10's loss in Germany.

Callahan added, "One team source estimated that at least 80 percent of the Patriots' locker room is out on Jones. Another said the 'vast majority' of players are done with him. Both said the lack of belief spreads to both sides of the ball, with a shared sense that Jones' worst mistakes negate the best efforts of his teammates."

Mac Jones has lost the Patriots locker room after Week 10's ugly loss

Based on Callahan's report, Mac Jones may be all but done in New England. There's a chance Bill Belichick could still support Jones -- Belichick drafted him at No. 15 overall in 2021 -- but even the Pats head coach may not want to strap himself to a sinking ship.

In 2023, Jones has thrown as many interceptions as he has touchdowns (10). He was benched for the third time this year against the Colts, and maybe the third time is the charm?

Bailey Zappe, the presumed quarterback who would replace Jones, hasn't established a very good track record, either; Zappe also threw somewhat of a mind-boggling pick on the final play of the Colts game.

But after two and a half seasons in Foxboro, Jones may have officially squandered all his opportunities, and it may be time for someone else to take the reins. It's hard to believe that just two years ago, in his rookie season, Jones was firmly in the OROY race and earned himself a Pro Bowl. Since then, his numbers have steadily regressed, and so has his teammates' confidence in him.

Nothing to see here, just a disappointing quarterback making his way to the graveyard of all the other flamed-out first-round picks.