Mac Jones has come under fire this season and his future as the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots seems to be very much in doubt. All season long, he has had been roller-coaster from week to week. No one truly knows what to expect from the young signal caller on any given week.
Most recently, the Patriots came up short against the Washington Commanders in Week 9 by a final score of 20-17. It was the most recent disappointment in what has been an awful season for New England. That loss dropped them to just 2-7 this season and any hope of a comeback to get into the playoffs is all but gone.
In the loss, Jones ended up completing just 24 of his 44 pass attempts for 220 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Those numbers simply don’t scream “franchise quarterback” to anyone.
Following the rough loss, Jones spoke out and made a shocking and concerning admission about how things are going this season and how it is impacting him.
“Yeah, it’s tough. I think the biggest thing, like you said, is remaining confident in yourself. When you do everything you can every day, you should have no regrets. I have no regrets. I do need to do things better, but I’m always going to work hard and put in the hours. That’s all I can do, right? Motivate people around me to do it, as well. I’m always going to be the same person. Obviously, like you said, the results aren’t there right now. It stinks. There’s no excuses.”
What’s Next For Mac Jones And The New England Patriots?
All that fans can do is look towards the future at this point. The Patriots are in shambles and there are rumors that legendary head coach Bill Belichick could be on his way out of town after the season as well. Does Jones have a future with New England still?
Honestly, his future with the franchise seems very much in doubt. If the Patriots keep Belichick, they would likely strongly consider heading in a different direction, whether that be with another young quarterback or bringing in a veteran.
A couple of veteran names that have come up as potential targets are Jimmy Garoppolo and Kirk Cousins.
Granted, the Patriots may not be ready to give up on Mac Jones. On the season in nine games, he has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 1,861 yards, 10 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His numbers aren’t awful, but they certainly haven’t been good enough to win football games.
The potential and talent that Jones possesses is clear. He has the potential to be a very special NFL quarterback, but has yet to be able to put everything together.
With just eight games left in the season for the Patriots, Jones has a very limited amount of time to prove that he should stick around as the starter. If he can impress the rest of the way, he would have a shot to return for at least one more season as the projected No. 1 quarterback. On the other hand, if how things have gone is a foreshadowing of the rest of the year, he likely would be elsewhere to start the 2024 NFL season.
Mac Jones has been a story of extreme hope and major disappointment. When he was drafted, everyone thought that he was the heir apparent to Tom Brady. Obviously, that hasn’t been the case so far, but the jury is still out on his future.
Next up for the Patriots will be a Week 10 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts in Germany. The game will kick off at 9:30 a.m. EST on Sunday. Maybe Mac Jones can put together a bounce-back performance.
