For many years, the New England Patriots seemed like a model franchise, and they were the envy of the rest of the NFL as they won six Super Bowl championships.
But right now, they look like a total mess, and legendary head coach Bill Belichick is out after 24 years of faithful service.
Their first and biggest question mark is at quarterback, where Mac Jones has failed to build on what was a promising rookie campaign in 2021.
Not only was he benched multiple times this season due to poor play, but per Jenna Lemoncelli of the New York Post and shared by Dov Kleiman on Twitter, he is frustrated at how the Patriots handled him this year, as opposed to how the New York Jets handled Zach Wilson.
“Jones, whose future with the Patriots is uncertain after a disastrous losing season, found himself so frustrated with the Patriots’ lack of communication that he told a Jets staffer he appreciated how they handled Wilson’s situation, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, who cited a source on the field during pregame in Foxborough,” the report states.
: #Patriots Mac Jones “vented” to a #Jets staffer about how he was “jealous” with how the #Jets handled their situation with Zach Wilson and how he didn’t like how the Patriots handled his situation with the team, via @nypost pic.twitter.com/nXVb9L0JSg
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 30, 2024
Like Jones, Wilson was a first-round draft pick in 2021 and has struggled for most of his three pro seasons, but Wilson remained his team’s starter more consistently this season.
Jones was benched three times in favor of Bailey Zappe, who wasn’t exactly an improvement over the former University of Alabama standout.
While Jones completed 64.9 percent of his passes and threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 11 games, Zappe finished with a 59.9 percent completion rate and had just 1,272 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions in 10 games, six of which he started.
Some placed the blame for Jones’ poor play on Belichick, who was also New England’s de facto general manager, as critics felt he failed to surround Jones with the type of capable skill players he needed to develop and build confidence.
The team will have the No. 3 pick in April’s draft, which will give it an opportunity to add either an excellent skill player or even a franchise QB.
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Analyst Has A Job Suggestion For Bill Belichick
