NFL Insider has doubts about possible Mac Jones trade prior to deadline
While many hoped that the New England Patriots' victory over the the Buffalo Bills was a turning point in the season, they were unable to keep the momentum going, falling to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. With this loss occurring just two days before the trade deadline, even more questions arose about whether the Patriots […]
While many hoped that the New England Patriots' victory over the the Buffalo Bills was a turning point in the season, they were unable to keep the momentum going, falling to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
With this loss occurring just two days before the trade deadline, even more questions arose about whether the Patriots would make some moves. That combined with the season-ending Achilles tear that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered, saw a possibility that the Vikings could potentially trade for a quarterback.
And Mac Jones' name has been thrown around.
But one NFL insider does not see this happening.
“Look here’s the thing with the trade deadline, I never rule out anything. Everything is always on the table. I’ve been surprised before," Adam Schefter said during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. "Mac Jones is interesting, but then that’s New England just cashing out on its season because one of the reasons that the Patriots haven’t made any quarterback changes, they just don’t have a guy right now that they feel they can turn to. So if you’re trading away Mac Jones in a season that’s gone south anyways, Okay, but that’s checking out less than the halfway mark, which just seems a little strange to me when they like Mac Jones and they don’t have another guy."
"So in a perfect world, let’s say Minnesota wanted Mac Jones, and this is the first I’ve heard it, what do the Vikings give up for him," Schefter added. "What are the Patriots willing to trade him for? It’s hard to come up with that equation to make it work for both sides.”
With this most recent loss, the Patriots drop to 2-6 for the 2023 NFL season, and many fans are unhappy with Jones. The quarterback had a strong rookie season, but last year he showed a significant drop while under the direction of former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who was calling the plays. New England brought in Bill O'Brien during the offseason as the offensive coordinator, providing Jones with a skilled leader. But he still hasn't lived up to the expectations.
So far this season, Jones has 173 completions on 260 attempts for 1,641 yards and nine passing touchdowns, along with eight interceptions and 16 sacks. On the rushing side, he has 20 carries for 68 yards.
While the quarterback has had some impressive completions, he has showed poor decision making at different times.
Bailey Zappe has replaced Jones twice this season during games, but he hasn't been able to provide a spark for the offense. Will Grier has primarily served as the emergency third during games, with Malik Cunningham going up and down between the active roster and practice squad.
Because of that and with no clear quarterback standing out other than Jones, the Patriots don't have an option to fall back on if they traded the third-year leader.
But as Schefter said, anything is possible. So let's see if they make any moves.
