I guess there is still a possibility that New England Patriots QB Mac Jones does indeed return to the team in 2024 and finds his way back into the starting lineup. Never say never, right? What has happened to Mac Jones during his NFL career is quite interesting. It's been so up an down and I don't entirely fault Jones for the lack of success.
He was excellent as a rookie and between puzzling coaching decisions, inconsistent offensive line play and a lack of weapons, there might not be another QB besides Patrick Mahomes who could excel in this situation. I think there are a few factors that could allow Mac Jones to return to the team in 2024 and even be the starter. Let's talk about those.
3 reason why QB Mac Jones could start for the Patriots in 2024
1. New regime has clear plan for Mac Jones
A potential new regime in New England could potentially see something in Mac Jones that could keep him with the team in 2024 as the starter. I guess you never know, right? I think any GM candidate that would interview with the Patriots would certainly watch film from Jones' 2021 season, since that was honestly one of the best rookie QB seasons ever.
I have been very hard on Jones, but the personnel around him on offense outside of about two players is pretty terrible. Who's to say that Mac Jones doesn't rebound if the new regime brings in a stud left tackle, help at wide receiver, and other skill players as needed? I don't think this scenario is likely, since a fresh regime would surely want to bring in their hand-picked QB, but you never know.
2. New QB is brought in, but Mac Jones "wins" a QB competition
One of the benefits of keeping Mac Jones around even if a new QB is brought in is that Jones has experience with the team and much of the personnel on offense. Even though he's largely been awful, the familiarity with the offense might be seen as an advantage if a new regime were to be brought in. Furthermore, what if the Patriots don't select a QB in the first-round of the 2024 NFL Draft? Depending on how the board falls, that's a possibility.
Taking a QB in the second or third round would likely be working with a developmental prospect who might not be able to start day one. Well, in that case, there'd be a pretty good chance that Mac Jones could again earn the starting job for the New England Patriots. Another advantage here is Jones being out there potentially taking his lumps with a new offense and new players, and keeping the other QB out of harm's way.
If the Patriots had a new coaching staff, the team would likely take a little while before they got comfortable with what the coaching staff wants to do. This would also mean some inconsistencies on offense, and if you're the new staff, wouldn't you rather have Mac Jones out there instead of a hypothetical rookie QB? Jones would likely have to deal with up an down OL play and some rough terrain, all while the rookie QB absorbs the new offense.
It'd almost be like the new staff would use Jones sort of as a decoy or test-dummy until the unit found their footing, paying the way for the rookie QB to eventually take over.
3. Directives from above...
I mean, you never know, right? We've seen owners constantly meddle with the rosters, so this would be nothing new. What if Robert Kraft feels a certain way about Mac Jones? What if he believes that Jones has been dealt a tough hand and wants to see him get a fair shot? At this point, it does feel like Kraft would pick Jones over Bill Belichick.
There's reason to believe, for example, that Jets' owner Woody Johnson is forcing Jets' HC Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas to keep Zach Wilson in the lineup. Just check out this excerpt from Saleh:
“I don’t know. I’m gonna plead the fifth.”
— Damon Amendolara (@DamonAmendo) November 7, 2023
If Robert Saleh can’t even defend Zach Wilson anymore, imagine what his teammates say privately. pic.twitter.com/Tyg4Q3dkJM
I mean, the Jets keeping Wilson in the lineup doesn't seem like it's the choice of Saleh... There were also some rumors that Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay forced the Colts to move on from Carson Wentz in favor of Matt Ryan. There's also a more recent rumor that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper forced the Panthers front office to take Bryce Young over CJ Stroud.
We may never know the full truth here, hence why I called them rumors, but what would stop Robert Kraft from forcing his hand on the roster? Kraft could bring in a new regime to try and fix the New England Patriots and essentially force them to start Mac Jones in 2024 just to see if there is anything more there.