Bill Belichick Blamed for Mac Jones’ Fall From ‘Tom Brady’s Heir’ to Patriots Exit

Replacing Tom Brady? That’s a tough job! But Mac Jones, who was touted as Brady’s heir, was ready to do just that. When he took the Pats to the playoffs in his rookie year, people showed confidence in his abilities. However, in 2022 and 2023, he stumbled. The team lost their patience, which led to his exit. Jones then moved to Jacksonville, the city where he was born and grew up. But was Bill Belichick the reason behind Jones’s fast fall?

Well, Rich Eisen, in the latest episode of ‘The Rich Eisen Show’, delved into this, attributing a significant portion of the blame to Bill Belichick. Eisen remarked, “In the last couple of years in New England, it just went south. It did. … And part of the reason is Bill had a hand in it. There’s just no two ways about it. To have Mac Jones fall apart, to go from a rookie season in which he damn near beat Tom Brady in Brady’s return. And had a ton of people wearing Mac Jones’ 10 jerseys. And absolutely was an integral part to the Patriots making the playoffs that year.”

“And he was a Pro Bowl quarterback replacement… And he, I think, deserved all of that. Because he’s a rookie and he is replacing Tom Brady.” He opined that the team was trying to find their next Brady, which didn’t exist. “But, then to have Josh McDaniels take the job in Vegas and then replace him with two guys that shouldn’t be anywhere near your quarterback- that was Bill’s decision when we think, right? And then, the next year, the roster was just less than. And he’s in charge of the roster. So I understand why things came to an end in New England.”

Mac Jones’s rookie season was a beacon of hope for Patriots fans. In his rookie year, the Pats even went to the Wild Card Round. He became the third QB in the franchise’s history to lead the Pats to a playoff game. But then, with the departure of OC Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas, and the controversial decision to replace him with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, the situation worsened. This move left the player’s growth stunted.

Three offensive coordinators in three years: that was the situation in the team. Add to this questionable roster management and a lack of high-end receiving players, there is nothing Mac Jones could have done to save himself. In fact, as per football analyst Chris Simms, things were so bad that the QB was requesting outside help. “He was telling people he wasn’t happy … He was calling people about, ‘Hey, can you help us with ideas and do stuff like that?’”

With Jones’s departure marking the end of an era that once brimmed with promise, one of his former teammates also came to his defense.

Jack Jones defends Mac Jones against unrealistic expectations

In a heartfelt defense for Mac Jones, Jack Jones, who donned the Patriots’ colors in 2022 and part of 2023, took to X to shed light on the challenges that shadowed Mac’s stint with the team. According to Jack, the reason why Mac Jones had such a tough time in New England was not Belichick, but the colossal expectations he grappled with in Foxborough.

“They said Mac looks happier in Jax … it was NE. It wasn’t Bill. [It was] NE fans,” Pats fans, spoilt by more than two decades of winning Super Bowl Championships, were exceptionally demanding of Jones, who was just a rookie starting QB. At Jacksonville, he wouldn’t have to try living up to Tom Brady’s monumental legacy.

 

However, for Belichick, the future is not certain at all. Many of his decisions did not sit well with the Pats. Now even with a resume boasting 302 regular-season wins, 31 playoff victories, 17 division titles, and six Super Bowl Championships, no team has signed him yet.

He just interviewed the Falcons, but nothing has come out of that till now. Is it the end of the road for Belichick or can the 71-year-old still surprise us? Only time can tell.

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