Multiple NFL executives reportedly believe New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is worth a fifth-round draft pick on the trade market.
According to Andrew Callahan and Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald, three NFL front-office people estimated Jones’ trade value as a fifth-rounder, while another said the Patriots would be “lucky” to get a sixth-round pick in exchange for the 2021 No. 15 overall pick.
Callahan and Kyed added that that the Patriots are expected to trade Jones this offseason in an effort to upgrade the quarterback position, as Jones was benched last season after posting a 2-9 record as the starter.
Future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady left the Patriots in free agency after the 2019 season, and life after Brady has proved challenging in New England.
After missing the playoffs in 2020 with Cam Newton at quarterback, the Pats selected Jones in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft in hopes that he would be the Brady replacement they were looking for.
Jones was largely impressive as a rookie, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. That was enough to earn him a Pro Bowl nod, plus the Patriots reached the playoffs with a 10-7 record.
However, the Pats got annihilated by a 47-17 score in the AFC Wild Card Round, and they seemingly haven’t been the same since.
Jones’ numbers dipped in 2022, and New England missed the playoffs, but things truly bottomed out in 2023.
In 11 starts, Jones completed 64.9 percent of his passing attempts for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, leading to his benching in favor of Bailey Zappe.
The Patriots went 4-13 overall, which was their worst record during Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure as head coach, and it led to Belichick and the Pats deciding to part ways.
Belichick was replaced by Jerod Mayo, and the Patriots are now set to enter a new era, which likely means a new quarterback is on the way as well.
New England owns the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported there is a “strong sense” the Pats are “leaning heavily” toward taking a quarterback with that pick.
There are three quarterbacks in the 2024 class who have seemingly separated themselves from the rest in USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. With both the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders expected to take a quarterback ahead of the Patriots, they will likely end up with whoever is left.
Additionally, MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian, Mark Daniels and Chris Mason reported that the Patriots are expected to pair the rookie quarterback with a veteran signal-caller they sign in free agency.
If both of those things happen, there will be no room for Jones on the roster, so a trade or release is the likeliest outcome.
Jones almost certainly won’t get the chance to start out of the gates in 2024, but at 25 years of age, he may still have some untapped potential, and teams could do worse at their backup quarterback spot.
2024-03-02 16:52:30
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