NFL Rumors: Steelers-L'Jarius Sneed buzz, Packers cutting star, Mac Jones trade value

NFL Rumors: Mac Jones' trade value revealed (and underwhelming) for Patriots

It's all but certain that the Mac Jones era with the New England Patriots has come to a close on the field and will likely end entirely sooner rather than later. New general manager Eliot Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo will be turning the page at quarterback with the expectation being that they will trade Jones, the former first-round pick.

Just don't expect the Patriots to get anything remotely close to that in return for Jones when they do eventually trade him.

With rumors flying wildly at this week's NFL Combine, Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald unloaded everything that they're hearing regarding the Patriots in Indianapolis. On Jones specifically, they reported that the quarterback's trade value is substantially lower than what New England used to draft him, likely settling around a Day 3 pick at best:

"Three front-office executives told the Herald quarterback Mac Jones should fetch around a fifth-round pick in trade talks with other teams. Another AFC evaluator suggested the Patriots might be lucky to land a sixth-rounder. Jones is reportedly expected to be traded this offseason, as the team plans to upgrade its quarterbacks room."

With a fifth-or-sixth-rounder being floated as the trade compensation for Jones, the Patriots and the fan base shouldn't expect any type of needle-moving deal for their current quarterback. This move is far more about getting what they can to hit the reset button and then draft a new hopeful franchise signal-caller.

Which signal-caller they choose to draft -- and if it's even with the No. 3 overall pick -- is another matter of debate entirely.