Amid reports that Lamar Jackson really, really wants to join the New England Patriots, the team has reportedly expressed no mutual interest. But that doesn’t mean Mac Jones’ job as the starting quarterback is safe.
Speaking to the media this week, Belichick made it clear that “the best players” will play in response to a question about a potential QB battle between Jones and second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe. While it was a very typical Belichick response, it was far from a vote of confidence for Jones.
“Everybody will get a chance to play. We’ll play the best players,” Belichick said, via MassLive.com.
Jones had a sophomore slump in 2022 after making the Pro Bowl in 2021, while Zappe looked a lot better, completing 70.7-percent of his passes for 781 yards and five touchdowns in four games. Zappe went 2-0 as a starter while Jones was injured.
Bill Belichick noncommittal about Mac Jones starting over Bailey Zappe. https://t.co/QJCDIseSKK
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 31, 2023
Bill Belichick has almost always gone with the hot hand at any position from starting quarterback to the kicker and punter. He’s all about winning and after their comparatively disastrous 2022 campaign, he’s probably got everyone on the roster in his crosshairs.
We’ve already seen Belichick make sweeping changes to his coaching staff in response to their offensive woes last year.
Big-time changes to the starting lineup shouldn’t just seem possible, but nearly inevitable.