NFL QB Rankings 1-32: Where Does Patriots' Mac Jones Fit?

Is this a fair ranking for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones?

Quarterback Mac Jones is entering a crucial third season, as the New England Patriots will have to decide whether or not to exercise the former first-round pick's fifth-year option after this campaign, and perhaps whether to move forward with him at all. 

The Patriots seemed to have given Jones a "clean slate", but a new report claiming they tried to trade for Aaron Rodgers might again muddy the waters of their commitment.

Following a strong rookie season, Jones regressed under sub-optimal conditions, tossing 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions for a Patriots team that finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs altogether in 2022. 

And so, while Jones showed quite a bit of promise in 2021, he checked in at No. 24 on our SI/FanNation countdown of the 32 projected starting quarterbacks for the 2023 season: 

"Jones had the best rookie season of any quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft class, but regressed in 2022 after Matt Patricia and Joe Judge were tasked with taking over key offensive coaching positions following the departure of Josh McDaniels.

"Bill O'Brien is back at offensive coordinator in 2023, so that should help to fix one major issue. However, other major issues -- a lack of skill-position talent being at the forefront -- remain in New England." 

The additions of a real offensive coordinator, veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and former Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki -- a bounce-back candidate himself in 2023 -- should give Jones a better chance to succeed than he had a year ago. But relative to the skill-position talent in the rest of the division, New England's offense still looks pretty barren. 

Speaking of the AFC East, Jones did indeed come in last among quarterbacks in his own division on this countdown. Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was the highest-ranked AFC East quarterback at No. 3, followed by Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets at No. 7 and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins at No. 12. 

Perhaps the cherry on top for Bill Belichick at the Patriots is that one spot above Jones is Jimmy Garoppolo, who is preparing for his first season under McDaniels on the Las Vegas Raiders. 

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