The former first-round draft pick is headed to Jacksonville.
The Mac Jones era is over. The New England Patriots will trade their former starting quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Patriots and Jaguars are discussing a sixth-round draft pick as compensation. Jacksonville was reportedly one of four teams in the mix for the former first-round draft pick.
Jones, 25, arrived in New England as the 15th overall selection in the 2021 draft. The Alabama product earned the Patriots’ starting job right away, and had a big hand in the team going 10-7 and making the playoffs that year. But while the future seemed bright at that point, he was unable to develop into a long-term franchise quarterback.
In part due to repeated change on the offensive coaching staff and an inadequate supporting cast, and in part because of his own shortcomings, Jones regressed into one of the worst QBs in football by 2023. He was benched on four occasions in favor of backup Bailey Zappe, before losing his starting job for good in late November.
Zappe himself was not a significant upgrade, but Jones remained on the sidelines for the rest of the year. In fact, he ended his third season as New England’s third-string option behind Zappe and in-season waiver wire pickup Nathan Rourke.
Now, Jones is headed out the door. He leaves New England having appeared in a combined 43 regular season playoff games; he completed 888 of 1,346 pass attempts for 9,150 yards with 48 touchdowns and 38 interceptions.
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