Report: Belichick wanted to trade QB Mac Jones before the season
The Bill Belichick era ended this week in New England after a 24-season tenure. But that wasn't an immediate reaction to a bad season. According to ESPN' reporters Seth Wickersham and Wright Thompson, a split between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been forming for months. It's a thorough reporting with important details, but […]
The Bill Belichick era ended this week in New England after a 24-season tenure. But that wasn't an immediate reaction to a bad season. According to ESPN' reporters Seth Wickersham and Wright Thompson, a split between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been forming for months.
It's a thorough reporting with important details, but two aspects were particularly relevant for the future of the team. And that's related to Kraft's impact on football decisions, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Hiring offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and keeping quarterback Mac Jones were both ownership decisions.
Coaching staff decisions
Belichick lost confidence and decision-making power after a disastrous season with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge as the offensive leaders. So Kraft imposed the O'Brien hire, and the coaching staff never felt cohesive.
But that sequence of facts brought another consequence: a big quarterback decision, which Kraft imposed over this coach.
According to the report, Belichick wanted to trade Mac Jones away after a bad 2022 season and go in a different direction at quarterback. However, Kraft wanted to see how Jones would perform under a new offensive staff.
"During offseason planning meetings, Belichick later told people in the building, he raised the idea to the Krafts of trading quarterback Mac Jones. The Krafts had embraced Jones after he was drafted in the first round in 2021, hoping to build something close to a Brady-like relationship with him. Jones played well as a rookie under then-coordinator McDaniels, then regressed in 2022 under Belichick's patchwork offensive staff. Ownership argued against trading him, wanting to see what Jones could do with O'Brien calling plays, which this past week they denied saying through a team spokesperson. Belichick technically could have traded Jones, but he ceded to his bosses. Longtime observers of the Patriots noticed a disconnect in training camp, when Belichick in news conferences almost went out of his way to not compliment Jones."
But Mac Jones' performance in 2023 was even worse. After a 92.5 passer rating as a rookie and 84.8 in his second year, under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, Jones had a 77.0 passer rating this season, throwing 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. And Belichick wanted to make it clear that he was right in the offseason.
"Local reporters asked Belichick and O'Brien whether Jones would be benched; instead, Belichick left him in games, even when it was clear the quarterback was losing confidence.
'A f— you to Kraft," a confidant of Belichick's said."
Now, the change from Bill Belichick to Jerod Mayo brings new question marks to the Patriots future. Maybe, the team decides to keep Bill O'Brien and give him more power to make offensive decisions, or they go in another direction. How much power Mayo will have is also a big factor.
Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick formed the winningest owner-coach duo in NFL history, but their disagreements since Tom Brady left became more intense, and parting ways ended up being a logical decision for both sides.
Why Jerod Mayo is the perfect person to be next head coach of Patriots
Made the right decision.
