After a disappointing second year for Patriots QB Mac Jones, there are many speculating that the Patriots might just move on from him in favor of a better option.
But if that’s true, it definitely seems to be news to Patriots insider Tom Curran. Appearing on the Rich Eisen Show, Curran said that the Patriots are NOT joining the quarterback carousel this offseason and are fine with Jones as their starter right now.
“(Changing quarterbacks) would happen over Robert Kraft’s dead body. We may talk about that in 2024 if it’s another mediocre season…” Curran said. “Any speculation that Mac Jones would be trade bait or a trade object in 2023 is cuckoo. Next year might be a different story… But this year? Absolutely not.”
Curran explained that Jones is too affordable with his $4 million salary for the team to simply give up on him after two seasons. He believes that the Patriots recognize that Jones’ struggles in 2023 were a consequence of their own inability to support him properly.
The 2022 season saw Mac Jones’ completion rate, touchdown rate, yards per game and QB rating decline from his Pro Bowl rookie numbers. He went just 6-8 as a starter as the Patriots missed the playoffs for the second time in three years.
Next year the Patriots will have to make the decision whether to pick up his fifth year option – a number that will likely be very expensive.
But for now, if the Patriots think they can still develop Jones, there’s no reason to think they won’t give him another chance and hope that his next season is more like 2021 than 2022.