The New England Patriots made a big change to their offensive coaching staff this offseason.
They hired Bill O’Brien away from the Alabama Crimson Tide to be their new offensive coordinator after the unit struggled under Matt Patricia last season. O’Brien did great things in Tuscaloosa as Alabama’s offense averaged over 40 points and 477 yards of offense per game last season.
Mac Jones, who is in line to start at quarterback for the Patriots again, confirmed recently that he’s really excited to work with O’Brien leading up to the 2023 season.
“I think we’re all excited for this next year, and it just starts with putting your head down and going to work,” Jones said, (first transcribed by ProFootballTalk). “We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s all about how you come together as a team — players, coaches, everybody. So I’m excited to work with O’Brien, and I know we all are, and it’s gonna be a great year. We’ve just gotta put the work in.”
Jones will look to get back to the level that he played at as a rookie in 2021 after he struggled in 2022. He even lost his starting job to Bailey Zappe for a little bit this past season.
It’s led to Bill Belichick not publicly naming Jones the starter going into the season, but Jones is ready to fight for that spot.
We’ll get our first chance to see how he does in that competition when OTAs start in May.