Will New England Patriots Trade Mac Jones?

The New England Patriots may find it in their best interest to trade Mac Jones.
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As the NFL season chugs along, it's becoming more and more clear that the New England Patriots aren't comfortable with Mac Jones at quarterback.

Just two years removed from Jones leading the team to the playoffs, the Patriots are bursting at the seams and the result is a football team without much direction. Therefore, it's probably in their best interest to find another quarterback.

It could be in the Patriots' best interest to have Jones as a backup to help usher in a new rookie, but New England may find even more value in trading him.

"New England failed him in 2022 by not hiring an offensive coordinator and benching him temporarily anyway. It hasn't improved with Bill O'Brien calling plays in 2023, and Jones has reportedly lost the support of most teammates," Bleacher Report writes. "Jones played well enough in 2021 to suggest that he can be a starter in a quality environment. In all likelihood, that turnaround needs to happen at a new organization."

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones / USA Today Sports

It remains to be seen if Jones can lead another team to the playoffs, or if any other team would take a shot with him as the starter. Bleacher Report suggests that there could be four teams that make sense for a Jones trade this offseason.

"San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is an ideal person for a reclamation project, and Los Angeles Rams boss Sean McVay also has that upside," Bleacher Report writes. "Both the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have injury concerns with Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones, respectively."

All of those teams could eye quarterback help this offseason, but it's hard seeing any of those teams ditch a starter for Jones. But as we've seen in the NFL, having a solid backup is important, which is why the Patriots may want to keep him. However, it could also benefit New England to part ways and give both sides a fresh start.

That being said, it's going to be hard for another team to give Jones the keys to the franchise in 2024. He could have a trajectory like Baker Mayfield is having with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Geno Smith with the Seattle Seahawks, but both of those players had to be a backup for a bit, and Jones may suffer the same fate.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.