Former Patriots assistant Michael Lombardi knows how Bill Belichick’s mind works better than most.
So when PFT’s Mike Florio reported that New England’s head coach had shopped Mac Jones this offseason, Lombardi was there to dump cold water all over it on the “GM Shuffle” podcast:
Let me make this clear: the Patriots are NOT “shopping” QB Mac Jones. However, both sides need to show accountability for last season’s disappointing offensive performance.
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— Michael Lombardi (@mlombardiNFL) April 6, 2023
The idea [Belichick] is shopping Mac is against everything he would do. First of all, he’s the most secretive person in the league. He’s not going to tell you anything he’s doing; even some people in the organization don’t know. But if somebody comes to him and tells him, ‘I’ll give you a [first-round pick] for Mac,’ does that mean he’s shopping him? No. That just means somebody asked the question. I think we’re at a semantical issue here.
Did the Patriots mess up with their decision with the staffing [last season]? That’s fairly obvious, and I think [Belichick’s] admitted that. Was Mac Jones’ behavior conducive to that of an ultimate leader? No. He’s got to admit that too. So there’s culpability on both sides. The only way they’re going to improve is [acknowledging that] together.
Lombardi isn’t the first one to be skeptical of Florio’s report, as several journalists have also said that the Pats aren’t looking to unload Jones.