Earlier this offseason, the New England Patriots made a number of changes to move on from a horrendous 2023 season, including trading starting quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick.
Jones had a strong first year in New England, leading the team to the playoffs and making a Pro Bowl, but two poor seasons followed, leading to the trade. In total, he appeared in 42 games for the Patriots, completing 66.1% of his passes for 8,918 yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
Now, with the Jaguars, Jones is set to back up Trevor Lawrence, another first-round pick from the 2021 NFL draft. In Jacksonville's three preseason games, Jones looked great, completing 73.1% of his passes for 421 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson took the time to compliment Jones for his performance and also took a shot at New England in the process.
“Mac has played extremely well in the last couple of weeks and has really bought into what we do," Pederson said (via. Mike Reiss). "He’ll still revert back to his Patriots ways every now and then, and we have to remind him he’s in Jacksonville. But he’s done a good job managing and running the offense, getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he’s done a good job.”
It has to be tough for the Patriots to hear that the Jaguars, who have been an NFL laughingstock for a good chunk of their existence, believe they're a better place for a quarterback right now, and they're not wrong.
Jones' failures in New England weren't all on him. The team did nothing to surround him with weapons, talented offensive linemen or experienced coaches. He has some of that now with the Jaguars, and if his confidence is back, he can be really good again if Lawrence goes down.
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