New England Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt unsurprisingly wouldn’t name a starting quarterback in February.
Van Pelt gave a diplomatic response when asked Wednesday about Mac Jones returning as New England’s starter in 2024.
“Really right now, everything is on the table,” Van Pelt said, per NESN’s Sean T. McGuire. “As we go through this process, we’re really, this last couple weeks, 10 days, are just diving into who we are, trying to evaluate our guys … We’re trying to understand who we have here as well as other players out there.”
Van Pelt said he’s “sure we’ll make the right decisions” in what he anticipates will be a “collaborative effort.
Hired from the Cleveland Browns to replace Bill O’Brien, Van Pelt inherits an offense that tallied the NFL’s third-fewest yards and second-fewest points last season. Jones struggled mightily in his third season, throwing more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10) with a career-low 6.1 yards per pass attempt.
Although Bill Belichick benched Jones multiple times during the season, the former first-round pick lost the starting job to Bailey Zappe for good in Week 12. Jones got seated with 89 yards and two picks in a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants.
Most outside observers would probably bet against Jones reclaiming the starting role in 2024. The Patriots can start fresh by drafting a new quarterback for Van Pelt and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo with the No. 3 pick.
Even if New England doesn’t select a new signal-caller, the organization could add a veteran to compete for the QB1 role. However, Van Pelt discussed giving second chances to players under a new regime.
“There’s some good pieces in place. I think the best thing for everybody is it’s going to be a fresh start for everybody,” Van Pelt said. “I’ve talked to a couple of guys already coming in with a clean slate, no preconceived expectations or notions of who these guys are. And then we’ll build it from the ground up.”