Nobody wanted to trade for Mac Jones. The New England Patriots were forced to trade the 25-year-old quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars for scraps because of a lack of interest.
As first reported by Adam Schefter, he is being flipped for a sixth round pick.
That’s it. A former first-round NFL Draft pick has essentially dropped five rounds in value over the first three years of his career. Brutal.
Ian Rapoport reported that three other organizations were also in the mix for the signal-caller, but according to NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the Patriots did not receive another former offer. The Jaguars were the only team to present an actual compensatory package, a sixth-rounder.
New England’s hands were tied and the front office had to take what it could get. One in the hand is worth two in the bush. They clearly wanted to get Jones out of Massachusetts at whatever cost.
On the flip side of this deal, Jacksonville acquires an insurance policy for Trevor Lawrence. While the AFC South runners-up would certainly prefer that Jones never has to see the field, they would clearly prefer to have him as the backup instead of C.J. Beathard or Matt Barkley.
It is also interesting that the Jaguars chose to acquire a veteran quarterback instead of taking a chance on a rookie in the late rounds of the upcoming draft. This year’s class is very deep at the position.
Perhaps they will do both?
Either way, Mac Jones is heading home. The Jacksonville-native will serve as Lawrence’s backup in 2024. Unless his new team chooses to draft a rookie that beats him out in camp, that is.
Jones won’t have a chance to revive his career as a starter, but he will welcome the fresh start. The drama is behind him!