Can Patriots' Mac Be Saved? Devin McCourty Answers
After yet another chapter of disappointment and dysfunction, it seems Mac Jones' time with the New England Patriots is coming to an end.
Which in the opinion of former Patriots safety and captain Devin McCourty, a change of scenery is exactly what the former first-round pick out of Alabama needs.
“I think you have to see what (Alex) Van Pelt thinks,” McCourty said in a recent interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger and Mazz Show about Jones. “Me personally, from knowing Mac, I would love to see him get an opportunity somewhere else.
“I think as players, we’re always like, we’re going to stay focused on what we have to do. We’re going to lock in, but when every time you go out there on the field and you’re getting booed, like when that has to be your life day in and day out … that’s just hard to deal with.”
Former New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty (left) and current quarterback Mac Jones (right).
USA Today Network
The fans weren't the only ones who may have soured on the once-promising quarterback. As a report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer pointed out, even his own teammates had started to turn on Jones.
Breer described the Patriots' quarterback room as "toxic." This toxicity had gone so far that Jones's eventual replacement, Bailey Zappe, began watching film with the team's receivers instead of with his fellow signal-callers.
Following a very promising rookie season, where Jones made the Pro Bowl. That proved to be his peak, as he threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, as he led the Patriots to a 10-7 record and playoff appearance.
From there, it was all downhill. Longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left the Patriots for his second try as a head coach, this time with the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2022 season, leaving Jones without a true play-caller. Instead, Bill Belichick turned to Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to run his offense, despite neither having experience coordinating on that side of the ball.
But coaching wasn't the only problem, so too was the talent around Jones. The Patriots failed to reinforce a deteriorating offensive line, along with never adding true difference-makers on the outside at receiver. While the emergence of Jakobi Meyers, Jones's favorite target, papered over the cracks for the most part in the first two seasons, his departure in 2023 proved problematic.
The Patriots' prized signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster was a flat-out bust this past season, as the 27-year-old looked like a shell of his former explosive self. Meanwhile, an injury-riddled and overlooked offensive line continued to crumble. All of this essentially canceled out the perceived positive of the return of Bill O'Brien as the offensive coordinator.
O'Brien was supposed to be the savior of Jones and the Patriots offense. However, that even proved to be too much for him, as Jones endured the worst season of his career, throwing for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
Jones was benched four times last season before the permanent change at quarterback was made, as Zappe became the starter for the final six games.
However, throughout it all, McCourty seemingly still holds out hope that Jones can eventually right the ship... just not in New England.
“Right now everybody looks at Mac Jones like, ‘Get him out of the league. He’s terrible,'” McCourty said. “I think if he gets a fresh start we’ll still be talking about this guy somewhere in the league five, six years from now.”
Where that may be is still unknown. But it seems rather certain that after three years in New England, Jones' next snap in a regular season game will see him in a different uniform.
