Mac Jones Shocked Former QB2 as a Rookie Starter, Adding Fuel to Speculation on Bill Belichick’s Role in New England Demise

Mac Jones has had quite a journey with the New England Patriots as a rookie. He had a phenomenal start in his rookie year and learned the ropes very quickly. But as the season progressed, things started going bad for the QB. It became so bad that, at one point, Belichick decided to bench Jones and he only played 11 games in the 2023 season. However now, the Pats decided to let him go and he will play with the Jacksonville Jaguars as their starting quarterback.

Despite all the restrictions the QB put himself through, he made sure that he gave his absolute best and learned from one of the greatest coaches in the game. Brian Hoyer, an NFL veteran, and an ex-Patriot revealed a few things about Jones. Despite all the positivity, Mac Jones couldn’t thrive, and Bill Belichick could have been the reason behind it.

Hoyer mentioned that the Pats were having difficulty managing without Brady and then, Mac Jones stepped in! A post from  on X has Hoyer giving his first impression of Mac Jones. “Obviously, it was different without Tom [Brady]… and then Mac comes in and I remember thinking like, ‘God, they have to be telling the guy like where— what to do out here at practice,” said the quarterback. Hoyer then added, “He was learning so quickly… I’ve never seen a rookie pick up a system like this and it became pretty apparent that he was gonna be the starter.”

Jones played 3 seasons with the Pats, but as Hoyer said, his rookie season was most impressionable. The QB managed to gather 3,801 passing yards and had 22 touchdowns in the sesaon. A comparison between CJ Stroud and Mac Jones’ rookie year would give more perspective into how good he actually is.

Stroud had 4,108 yards and 23 TDs in his rookie season. Both held a 10-7 team record and Jones had a better pass completion rate. However, as mentioned earlier, some of the things in the Patriots’ organization might have been problematic for Jones and he went from QB1 to a backup quarterback.

What went wrong with Mac Jones in Foxboro?

The Patriots and Mac Jones’ downfall might have partly been on Bill Belichick’s and Patriots management’s hands. Jones did very well in his rookie year, but in the upcoming time, some questionable drafting decisions led to Jones being surrounded by with the poor weapons. Even the coaching positions were shuffled around a bit haphazardly. Josh McDaniels, who was the Pats OC at the time, landed a job as the Raiders head coach and Matt Patricia, who was mainly a defensive coach was put in McDaniels’ place. This might have had a significant effect on Jones’ performance because he had a good relationship with Josh McDaniels.

Jones might also have had difficulty with Patriots’ strict culture where the QB couldn’t reveal “too much personality,”  He only recently revealed that he is a rapper just after he moved to the Jags. Belichick’s stern personality and authoritative figure might not leave room for other people to raise their concerns. It was after a lot of persuasion that Belichick decided to take second opinions on drafting the players. But the HC’s apprach might have been old and there might have been too much pressure on him, which ultimately led to Pats 4-13 collapse in the season.

Ironically, he’s got a starting QB job with the Jaguars. Belichick and Josh McDaniels are not working with anyone and the Patriots made history by appointing Jerod Mayo as their new HC.

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