Mac Jones says he doesn’t have any regrets about the last three years in New England. That being said, following the 2023 season, he knew it would be best if he landed with another NFL team.
That’s what happened when the Patriots traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round pick. That trade became official on Thursday and Jones met with the Jaguars media for the first time.
The quarterback revealed that he met with the Patriots this offseason and the two parties decided that a mutual parting of the ways was the best course of action.
“I have all the respect in the world for those guys up there. They’re my first team, drafted me in the first round – can’t thank them enough,” Jones said. “We kind of just decided the mutual parting of ways was the best decision for both of us. And for me, it was just about moving on and getting back home and I can’t be more excited. For them, it’s about moving forward and turning the page. So really that’s kind of what we decided, and I think it’s a great decision.”
For Jones, this trade sends him back to his hometown of Jacksonville where he played high school football and his parents still reside. For the Patriots, moving Jones was part of their offseason plan. In free agency, the team signed veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The plan is to pair Brissett with a rookie quarterback, likely to be picked at No. 3 in April.
Drafted in the first round in 2021, Jones’ career in New England got off to a solid start. That first year, he finished with 3,801 yards to go with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He earned Pro Bowl alternate honors, finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, and was voted by his peers as one of the Top 100 Players in the NFL.
Instead of building off that success, Jones ultimately regressed. Bill Belichick’s decision to replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels with Matt Patricia didn’t work in 2022. Jones also suffered a high ankle sprain that season. Last season, he was benched in favor of Bailey Zappe.
Jones said he didn’t have any regrets for how things worked out with the Patriots.
“Just like the learning part of it. Every experience is a good experience if you learn from it,” Jones said. “So, you know the games that we lost, the things that happened, obviously you don’t ever want to lose. You want to win every game you play in, but I understand it’s sometimes really hard to do in the NFL and I don’t have regrets. I feel like I put everything out there, gave a lot to that organization and they gave a lot to me.
“So, I’m going to do the same thing here in a good way and just be myself, be Mac, and learn from Trevor (Lawrence) and C.J. (Beathard) and the coaches here that have a lot of offensive background. And that’ll be important for me and that’s a big reason why I felt like this is a good fit.”
In Jacksonville, Jones will back up Lawrence. He’ll likely become an unrestricted free agent in 2025.
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