Mac Jones continues to prove the Patriots were right to give up on him

Once it was clear the Patriots were going to have the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was known they were going to take a quarterback. Who that would be depended on who the Commanders chose with the pick ahead of them, but they would take a quarterback regardless.

They wound up taking UNC's Drake Maye, who might be the best quarterback of the class, and that effectively put Mac Jones' tenure in New England on notice.

Given that head coach Jerod Mayo had been on the team since the Patriots drafted him in 2021 and saw the less-than-ideal start he had to his NFL career, there was a shot Jones would remain a Patriot in a backup role. Mayo had even hinted as such during the offseason, but he was ultimately traded to his hometown Jaguars during free agency.

With only Jacoby Brissett and rookie Joe Milton III making up the quarterback room with Maye, some felt it may have been a mistake to move on from Jones and, eventually, Bailey Zappe. However, since Jones has taken the field this year in place of starter Trevor Lawrence, he continues to prove the Patriots avoided potential disaster by keeping him on the roster.

Mac Jones' continuing decline proves the Patriots made the right choice to trade him

With Lawrence placed on injured reserve after suffering a brutal hit to the head in last week's game against the Texans, Jones has become the starter for Jacksonville.

Before Week 14, he had just two starts this year but has taken snaps in five total. So far, he's recorded a career-low completion and touchdown percentage and average yards per reception, and his issue with interceptions continues. In fact, according to ESPN Research, Jones now holds the longest active streak for an unfavorable stat that the Jaguars cannot be too happy about.

His turnovers were among the worst factors of his game during his time with the Patriots, especially in his final season last year, and it doesn't appear to have gone away. Jones recorded two interceptions in the first half of Week 14 against the Titans, bringing his season total to five through the last four games.

Drake Maye might not be perfect in that regard so far, but he's a rookie and dealing with far less adequate circumstances than Jones has in South Florida.

Fortunately, Maye looks to be a far better player and natural leader than Jones showed in three years in Foxboro, and there are no concerns about him dropping some of his bad habits early in his career. On top of that, Milton has impressed as a backup over the past year, and Brissett has been a great mentor for both rookies to work with, so they're not missing out on not having Jones on the bench.

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