Bill Belichick, Patriots Out on Lamar Jackson; In on Mac Jones?

Tensions have been high this spring but a new report from The Athletic hints that the New England Patriots are ready to press into the immediate future with Mac Jones under center.

The New England Patriots are apparently bracing themselves for the return of the Mac.

With offseason workouts underway and organized team activities commencing Mac Jones' continued employment under New England center has been a point of contention with his name reportedly appearing in trade talks initiated by head coach Bill Belichick. But a new report from The Athletic states that the Patriots are "not in on Lamar Jackson" and they’re not expected to select a quarterback early in the NFL Draft.

"At this point, it seems the legendary head coach and the 2021 first-round pick will be together for at least another year," The Athletic writes. "Barring something unforeseen, Jones will be the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 1. The Patriots likely have gone too far into the offseason to make a change at the game’s most important position."

Jones will have plenty to prove if and when such confidence is rewarded come September. His second season saw him lose snaps to then-rookie Bailey Zappe due to both injuries and coaching decisions before the Patriots missed out a chance to form a playoff streak despite competing into the final week of the regular season.

While some still foresee the Patriots doing their due diligence on passers available in the upcoming draft in Kansas City, almost all has been relatively quiet on the quarterback front this season. Long-time backup Brian Hoyer became the latest Patriot to abscond for Las Vegas earlier this spring and he was more or less replaced by Arizona-based injury replacement Trace McSorley. 

With Jones entering a third season that's likely going to be a make-or-break case for his future as a franchise quarterback in New England ... and possibly beyond ... the Patriots have had a rollercoaster time in providing him the on-field tools to succeed. The team lost top receiver Jakobi Meyers to the Raiders, while bringing in Mike Gesicki and JuJu Smith-Schuster from Miami and Kansas City, respectively.

Elsewhere, New England ditched the de facto offensive coordinator duology of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia in favor of former assistant and previous Alabama offensive boss Bill O'Brien. 

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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