Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was asked about Mac Jones’ outlook for 2023 during Friday night’s press conference.
Belichick told reporters he “absolutely” feels the same way about Jones as he did prior to training camp last year.
In other words, Belichick finally gave his young quarterback a vote of confidence.
“Yeah, I mean, look, Mac’s been our quarterback for two years,” Belichick said. “As I tell the team every year, each player, each coach, we all have to re-establish and prove ourselves every year. That’s what this league is. That’s for all of us – ’23 is ’23. We’ll see how ’23 goes.”
Bill Belichick said he “absolutely” feels the same way about Mac Jones as he did prior to training camp last year when he complimented the quarterback’s progress, marking the Patriots coach’s strongest vote of confidence yet for his QB, via @MikeReiss.https://t.co/eBGC88iOSX
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 29, 2023
Jones, a former first-round pick, struggled mightily for the Patriots in 2022. The Alabama signal-caller completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Fortunately for Jones, the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien to revamp their offense. Although it’s early in the offseason, it sounds like things are going well for New England’s quarterback room.
“The quarterback room has been really good,” O’Brien said. “Mac Jones has worked really, really hard this offseason. Been here every day. We just started working [in the voluntary offseason program] two weeks [ago] and that’s been good. A lot of good meetings. A lot of good give-and-take.”
If Jones can rediscover his 2021 form, the Patriots will be a threat in the AFC East.