Patriots Mayo: 'Evaluation Phase' With Mac?

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is noncommittal about quarterback Mac Jones' future.

Mac Jones received a "clean slate" from Bill O'Brien a year ago. Is the New England Patriots quarterback getting another from new head coach Jerod Mayo?

Mayo spoke about Jones and his potential future with the franchise on The Greg Hill Show, noting that he and the coaching staff are still evaluating the entire roster.  

Mac Jones throws a pass in his final start of the season vs. the New York Giants / Creator: Mike Stobe | Credit: Getty Images

"When I think about Mac, he obviously has talent, and once again, we’re in the evaluation phase," Mayo said. "I will say with that the confidence of a player is very fragile, especially with these players now – like I’m an old man or something like that. But confidence goes a long way, and honestly, as I continue to evaluate, as we continue to evaluate as a coaching staff, we’ll see.”

The days of Jones being the rookie quarterback who led New England to its last playoff appearance in 2021 feel like a distant memory. He threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 starts in 2023. He was also benched four times during the season before Bailey Zappe became the starting quarterback for good in week 13. 

Zappe didn't fare much better, as he threw 1,272 yards, six touchdowns and nine interceptions in six starts. New England went 2-9 with Jones as the starter, compared to 2-4 with Zappe.

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Jones and the rest of the roster having a clean slate under Mayo shouldn't make headlines. That's the usual process whenever a team hires a new head coach, even if they are from within the organization. But with Jones' fall from grace since his rookie season, it wouldn't be surprising if the evaluation process from Mayo led to the team going in a different direction from the former first-round pick. 

With Mayo entering his first season as head coach and the Patriots being well-positioned to take their quarterback of the future with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it may be best for Jones and the organization to go in different directions before next season.

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