Former Patriots Staffer Throws Cold Water On Mac Jones Trade Rumors

Several analysts say the New England Patriots will trade quarterback Mac Jones in the offseason. Bill Belichick had issued with the young quarterback last season. The Patriots offense struggled throughout the entire 2022 season and Jones wasn’t happy at all. Will this force Belichick to trade his signal-caller? Michael Lombardi is not a fan of this theory.

“The idea he (Belichick) is shopping Mac is against everything he would do,” Lombardi said on the “GM Shuffle” podcast, as transcribed by ESPN. “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.”

Patriots have a reason to keep Mac Jones away from the trading block

Belichick is pretty quiet at this point of the offseason. He hasn’t done anything to indicate that the Patriots will part ways with the Alabama quarterback. It may be too soon to make a prediction regarding Jones’ future with the Patriots, but will definitely take all reports into consideration.

Brian Hoyer is no longer part of the Patriots. Bailey Zappe isn’t going anywhere. Will he do an effort to steal Jones’ job? We will have more information after training camp.

Jones was great in his first season with the Patriots, but he struggled in 2022. NFL analysts say that his time with the Patriots may be brought to an end. Belichick has the final word. Robert Kraft likes the quarterback and the Patriots have made some changes to the offensive staff. This will probably make things easier for Jones.