The Mac Jones experiment never quite worked out for the New England Patriots. After an impressive debut season in which he won Offensive Rookie of the Year and led his team to a surprise playoff appearance, the young quarterback's career spiraled.
But his short time with the San Francisco 49ers is raising questions about who was truly at fault for the failure in New England. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is proving that, in the right system, Jones can still be a functional starter in the NFL.
Mac Jones is proving Patriots wrong with 49ers
There was never any disillusionment regarding Jones' physical talent. He doesn't have the arm strength or athleticism of your typical NFL quarterback. Instead, he beats defenses with anticipation and accuracy. At least, that's the idea.
When a quarterback of his skill set is put in a dysfunctional offense, it's impossible to get a full read on whether he's a capable starter. That was the case with Jones in New England. He didn't have the offensive ecosystem he needed to succeed, so there was no way of knowing if he was the Patriots' long-term answer at quarterback.
In his last two years with the team, he threw just 24 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. His passing yards and average yards per attempt dropped in every season he was with the Patriots. With that kind of trajectory, nobody blamed New England when they decided to move in a different direction.
But Jones is starting to prove his doubters wrong. He stepped into a starting role in San Francisco with Brock Purdy sidelined and showed what he can do with a good offense around him.
The former Patriots quarterback threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns in the 49ers' win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. In Shanahan's system, he wasn't asked to put the team on his back. Instead, he was given simple reads and open receivers throughout the game. He didn't put together a highlight-reel performance, but he did enough to earn his team a victory.
Jones will have a few more opportunities to show off his skills in San Francisco as Purdy is set to miss up to another month of football. With every game he succeeds, New England looks worse and worse.
Of course, the Patriots aren't missing him all that much. Drake Maye still looks like the quarterback of the future, and his ceiling is undoubtedly higher than the former Pats QB's ever was. But this is beginning to look more like a New England miss than a Mac Jones flop.