The New England Patriots will almost certainly be moving on from quarterback Mac Jones this coming offseason, but if they are expecting to bring in significant value for him in a potential trade, they may end up being disappointed.
Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac broke down the quarterback situation of each team heading into the offseason and said that the Patriots have two options: either trade Jones, or pay his fully guaranteed $2.78 million as a buyout.
He predicts that if New England trades him, it will send him to the San Francisco 49ers in a 2024 seventh-round pick swap.
Ouch.
That certainly isn’t what you would want for a player you chose with the 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft, but based on Jones’ production (and attitude), I guess that’s all the Pats can expect to receive at this point.
In 11 starts this season, Jones has thrown for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 77. He ended up losing his starting job to Bailey Zappe in Week 12.
Jones, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, entered the league in 2021 and immediately started all 17 games for the Patriots during his rookie campaign. He was actually impressive that year, finishing with 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 picks while completing 67.6 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 92.5. He led New England to the playoffs and even made a trip to the Pro Bowl.
However, last year, Jones began to regress, starting 14 games and totaling 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 65.2 percent of his passes and recording an 84.8 passer rating.
The Pats even shopped him during the offseason, but were not able to get any offers they felt were worth exploring. Perhaps they were better off trading him then when he had a modicum of value.
Ginnitti’s hypothetical scenario of trading Jones to the 49ers does make some sense, as both of San Francisco’s backup signal-callers—Sam Darnold and Brandon Allen—will be free agents this spring, but whether or not the Patriots are willing to trade Mac Jones for such a small return remains to be seen.
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