New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick decided to part ways earlier this week, and while there were certainly a myriad of reasons why the pairing ended, there was apparently one pretty big sticking point that stuck out like a sore thumb: Mac Jones (via Seth Wickersham and Wright Thompson of ESPN).
Belichick opted to take Jones with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, a year after Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via free agency.
Jones ended up enjoying a solid rookie campaign, starting all 17 games and throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing 67.6 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 92.5 en route to a Pro Bowl selection. He also led the Patriots to a playoff appearance.
However, Belichick then stunted Jones’ growth by allowing defensive coach Matt Patricia and special teams coach Joe Judge to mentor him.
The following year, Jones regressed, starting 14 contests and finishing with 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 picks while completing 65.2 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 84.8.
Belichick then fielded traded offers for Jones that ensuing offseason, but was not able to find any trade packages that interested him. That led to Jones starting just 11 games this past season before being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe.
Kraft felt that the Patriots should have stuck with Brady under center, but Belichick apparently told Kraft that he felt Brady could not play anymore.
So, while Kraft wasn’t necessarily on Team Jones, he obviously wanted Belichick to make it work because he passed on Brady for the University of Alabama product.
We’ll likely never know exactly what happened between Kraft and Belichick, but it comes as no surprise that the quarterback position was a significant point of contention.
After all, Robert Kraft adored Brady, and Bill Belichick, perhaps thinking he had something to prove, did not want Brady in the fold any longer, which resulted in Brady bolting for the Buccaneers.
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