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The Patriots knew they were going to face some struggles after Tom Brady departed for Tampa Bay in 2020, and after the Cam Newton Experiment failed to pan out, the team opted to put its faith in Mac Jones. However, all signs point to that era coming to an end sooner rather than later—especially when you consider a new report concerning the mood in the locker room.
No one genuinely expected Mac Jones to fill the impossibly large cleats the New England Patriots ended up with after losing the talents of arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, but they still had fairly high expectations for the Alabama product who was selected with the 15th overall pick in the draft in 2021.
While he showed a fair amount of promise during a rookie season where the team finished with a 10-7 record, it’s been all downhill from there. Jones went 6-8 as a starter during the 2022 campaign and currently boasts a career record of 18-23 with a team that’s currently 2-8 and firmly in the basement of the AFC East.
The QB’s struggles were on full display during the game NFL fans were subjected to when the Patriots faced off against the Colts in Germany on Sunday, as Bailey Zappe was tapped to replace a floundering Jones on the final drive of the game that New England lost by a score of 10-6.
Jones and Co. won’t be playing this weekend, and you probably won’t be shocked to learn Bill Belichick hasn’t been super transparent when it comes to addressing whether or not he plans to hand Zappe the reins for the reason of a season that’s all but over.
However, according to a report that surfaced in The Boston Herald, most players in the Patriots locker room seem to think it’s time for a change:
“One team source estimated that at least 80% of the Patriots’ locker room is out on Jones. Another said the “vast majority” of players are done with him.
Both said the lack of belief spreads to both sides of the ball, with a shared sense that Jones’ worst mistakes negate the best efforts of his teammates.”
Jones has one more season left on his rookie deal, and at this point, it’s safe to assume the Patriots are ready to move on.
There’s no real downside to giving Zappe a shot, but barring a miracle, it’s pretty obvious the franchise is going to have to get lucky with the rising crop of college prospects if it has any shot at even coming close to returning to its former glory.