Bill Belichick Doesn’t Commit to Mac Jones as Patriots’ Starting Quarterback

The quarterback is entering his third year with the team.

The Patriots are coming off a pretty disappointing season, which included a step back by quarterback Mac Jones. In his second season in the NFL, Jones could not reach 3,000-yards passing and had just 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 14 games.

Jones’ backup, rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, played in four games, which included two starts where he had a 2–0 record. That solid play was enough to at least start a conversation regarding a quarterback controversy.

At the NFL owners meetings, coach Bill Belichick was asked if Jones and Zappe will compete for the starting job. In typical Belichick fashion, the veteran coach gave a vague answer without committing to either player.

“Everybody will get a chance to play,” he said, via MassLive’s Chris Mason. “We’ll play the best players.”

Belichick elaborated that this philosophy is for every player on the team, not just the quarterbacks.

“Everybody will get a chance to play,” he said. “Everybody that’s on our roster, if they earn the opportunity to play, then based on what they do in practice and all that, then they’ll get an opportunity to play. Certainly veteran players that have been on the team before, if they’re still on the team, they’ll all get an opportunity to play.”

To try and fix the offensive issues from last year, New England brought back Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and hired a new offensive line coach. The team is hoping some coaching changes will make a difference for their young quarterbacks.