The New England Patriots might have a problem at quarterback. That's saying a lot, considering the high hopes the coaching staff had for former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. In 2021 when the Patriots selected Jones with their first-round pick no one knew what to expect as he had the job of replacing one of the all-time greats.
During his rookie season, the young QB excelled, looking like one of the better quarterbacks out of his draft class. Jones threw for 3,801 yards, and 22 touchdowns, while completing 67.6% of his passes. After 2021, everyone thought that Belichick had another potential star.
Patriots fans were falling in love with him very quickly, as he had a very similar physique to the beloved Tom Brady. Jones doesn't attain a ton of athleticism, but he has a history of showing that he is a good decision-maker with the football.
So far this season, he has looked like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. In week four against the Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Belichick benched the 25-year-old for the second time in the last two seasons.
Should Belichick take blame for the regression on Jones?
When young quarterbacks constantly have changes in the coaching staff, we all know it usually doesn't produce a positive reaction. After a great rookie season under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, many expected Jones to leap forward in year two.
In his second season, he was given Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to lead him. Judge was previously a head coach with the New York Giants and a special teams coordinator with the Patriots. Patricia is known for being a great defensive mind, but never was he regarded as an offensive coach.
With those two calling the shots on offense, it caused Jones to look terrible. After going 10-7 in his rookie season, he was 6-8 as the starter the following season. When McDaniels took the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, Belichick failed to find an established offensive coordinator.
New England then decided to roll with Belichick's old friend and former Houston Texans Head Coach Bill O'Brien for the 2023 season. When hired, many thought Jones would take a step forward under his new coordinator, but so far it hasn't been pretty.
The Patriots are sitting at 1-3, and they're starting to give fans a reason to panic. In the first four weeks, Jones already has thrown four interceptions. He isn't the type of QB who is going to change the game in the blink of an eye, as he's more of a game manager.
It seems as if O'Brien wants his QB to play a different style of game than what he's accustomed to. New England is calling far less play actions plays than last season, and relying on Jones a bit more. It could very well be that the former Alabama QB is just an average player.
Jones isn't terrible, but he's not going to take over a game. If New England wants to get back to its winning ways, then they may need to make a tough decision.
Belichick is known for never committing to elite receivers long-term. Jakobi Myers was starting to build a connection with Jones, but they let him walk away in free agency to the Las Vegas Raiders. His replacement is JuJu Smith-Schuster who hasn't had a season with over 1,000 yards since 2018.
Throughout the first four weeks, Smith-Shuster only has 80 receiving yards on 11 catches. Young QBs do best with an elite weapon. Philadelphia Eagles gifted A.J. Brown to Jalen Hurts, the Buffalo Bills gave Stefon Diggs to Josh Allen, and numerous other teams do the same.
Surrounding a young QB with talent is almost the new norm, and Belichick hasn't given Jones anyone special. Brady was able to make receivers elite, but Jones isn't that type of player. Some QBs need help, but that doesn't make them an unreliable option.
Jones can have success in New England, but he's not winning anything special with the weapons currently provided. If they want to see him take a step forward, they need to put him in a better position to succeed.
At the end of the day though, Jones is the one struggling on the field. It will be interesting to see what direction the Patriots take. After getting benched in Week 4, the 25-year-old QB could use a big game against the New Orleans Saints.