The New England Patriots are trading QB Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday morning. The Patriots will get back a late-round draft pick, per reports. Per Adam Schefter, the pick being discussed is a sixth-rounder. The 25-year-old Jones is from Jacksonville, so he gets a trade back home to compete to be the backup QB behind starter Trevor Lawrence.
After leading the Patriots to a 10-7 record and playoff berth in his rookie season in 2021, Jones fell out of grace the past two seasons. He went 2-9 this past season before being benched for Bailey Zappe. The Patriots missed the playoffs and parted ways with long-time head coach Bill Belichick this offseason. Jerod Mayo was hired as head coach and the Pats are expected to draft a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft, which will take place in April.
Jones was selected with the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Behind Lawrence, there’s really no fantasy football value in Jones. He’s a good depth move by the Jaguars, who will likely view him as a reclamation project. Jacksonville finished 9-8 this past season, failing to make the playoffs after losing five of the final six games of the regular season. Instead, the Houston Texans were able to clinch the AFC South division title and the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to sneak into the playoffs as the 7-seed.
The Jags do have backup QB CJ Beathard under contract for 2024 but that could change. If not, Jacksonville will operate with Lawrence, Jones and Beathard as the three QBs for 2024. Jones is under contract through the 2024 NFL season and then his rookie deal is up. There’s a chance Jones sticks as the backup in Jacksonville. If anything were to happen to Lawrence, Jones could jump in and try and prove he can still start in the NFL. Otherwise it feels like Jones is destined to be a career backup QB.