New Details Pop Up About Tension Between Bill Belichick & Mac Jones

The New England Patriots offense struggled in 2022 and there were numerous theories behind these issues. Who was responsible for this mess? Head coach Bill Belichick reshaped his coaching staff following Josh McDaniels’ departure. Well, these changes didn’t work really well for the team. Now we have people saying that the head coach had issues with his starting quarterback as well. Was there a tension between Belichick and Mac Jones?

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk reported that Belichick “shopped” his starter to several teams this offseason. The information was confirmed by sources close to the situation. Jones was great in his rookie campaign, but made terrible mistakes in his second year in New England.

The Patriots offensive staff couldn’t find a solution to the problem which led to a tension between Belichick and Jones. Fun fact? Belichick has yet to confirm his starting quarterback for the 2023 NFL season.

Is Jones on his way out? Florio listed several potential suitors for Alabama quarterback. He could join the Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders.

“A team hoping to draft a quarterback could pivot to Jones, if that team doesn’t get the guy it wants,” Florio wrote. “The Raiders are the ones to keep watching. Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract lands in the low-end of middle class for starters, and Jones has two years left under a slotted rookie deal, before his fifth-year option would apply.”

The tension between Belichick and Jones could lead to another “divorce”

There’s a big obstacle in this scenario. Team owner Robert Kraft likes Jones despite his struggles on the field.

“I’m a big fan of Mac,” Kraft told reporters at the NFL Annual Meeting in March. “He came to us as a rookie. He quarterbacked in his rookie season and did a very fine job I thought. We made the playoffs. I think we experimented with some things last year that frankly didn’t work when it came to him, in my opinion.”

Bill O’Brien’s arrival in New England could be a game-changer for Jones. The legendary coached worked with Jones at Alabama and they know each other really well.

“While Kraft continues to defer to Belichick when it comes to running  ‘my football team,’ Kraft may not be thrilled about the prospect of parting ways with Jones,” Florio wrote. “And Kraft seems to be sympathetic to frustrations that trace to the failed offensive experiment in 2022, with Matt Patricia serving as the coordinator.”

Florio didn’t stop here. He believes that Kraft may get rid of Belichick if things don’t take the right turn next season.

“The current situation doesn’t feel sustainable,” Florio wrote. “It makes sense to watch how long it’s sustained.”