The New England Patriots are close to finalizing a trade agreement that would send quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to sources familiar with the situation. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news on Sunday.
In exchange for Jones, the Patriots will receive a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft, sources confirmed to Schefter. However, the trade cannot be completed until the new league year begins on Wednesday, pending Jones passing a physical examination.
New England currently holds the third overall pick in the upcoming draft, and many insiders speculate that they will use it to select one of the highly rated quarterbacks available, with LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye being among the top considerations.
Jones, who hails from Jacksonville, will be returning to his hometown to join the Jaguars as a backup to Trevor Lawrence, the first overall pick in the 2021 draft. Jones himself was selected by the Patriots as the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft.
Jones is anticipated to vie with C.J. Beathard for the role of Trevor Lawrence’s primary backup. Beathard is currently in the final year of a two-year, $4.5 million contract he agreed to before the 2023 season.
Despite being in Jacksonville for three seasons, Beathard has only started one game. In that game, he completed 17 of 24 passes for 178 yards, leading the Jaguars to a 26-0 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the previous season. This win was the sole victory for the Jaguars in their final six games, as they ended the season with a 9-8 record and missed the playoffs.
Lawrence, on the other hand, had started every game of his NFL career until he missed Week 17 due to a right shoulder injury sustained in the prior week’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Throughout the season, Lawrence dealt with multiple injuries, including a left knee sprain, an ankle sprain, a concussion, and the shoulder injury. As a result, he was unable to fully participate in any practice over the final three weeks of the season.
Jones’ time with the Patriots began on a positive note, as he was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate in his rookie season. During his tenure, Jones started all 17 regular-season games, helping the Patriots achieve a 10-7 record and secure a playoff spot (though they were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 47-17 in the wild-card round).
Jones had an impressive rookie season, completing 352 of 521 passes for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. However, his performance declined over the following two seasons. The departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who became the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, was the first in a series of changes that impacted Jones’ development, including changes in coaching staff and personnel.
In 2022, former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick appointed longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia as the team’s offensive playcaller, entrusting him to implement his offensive vision. Additionally, longtime special teams coach Joe Judge was named quarterbacks coach. Despite these changes, the collaboration between Patricia, Judge, and Jones did not yield the desired results. Jones finished the season completing 288 of 442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Jones also dealt with an ankle injury early in the season, which further hampered his performance. He acknowledged that there were on-field decisions he could have managed better.
Belichick subsequently brought in former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to oversee the offense in 2023, aiming to revitalize Jones’ performance, but the desired improvement never materialized. Jones ended the season having completed 224 of 345 passes for 2,120 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Belichick decided to bench Jones after 11 games, opting instead for Bailey Zappe.
As of now, the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart includes Zappe and second-year player Nathan Rourke.
With only single selections in each round of the draft, acquiring a sixth-round pick gives the Patriots an additional selection in that round, bringing their total number of picks to eight.
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