Mac Jones defends himself against most recent allegations

A lot of drama and speculation is coming out of New England this week after their recent blowout loss to the Saints on Sunday. Much has been and will continue to be made about what the future holds for Mac Jones, especially since his performance in Week 5 was equal to, if not worse, than what we saw from him against the Cowboys just one week ago.

The decision was made to bench Jones for the second week in a row, putting Bailey Zappe back on the field, much to the appeasement of fans in attendance chanting for him. All of it culminated in the assumption that the QB1 would be in hot water with Bill Belichick in the days following the game.

But that may have happened sooner than expected when an alleged quote from a source connected to Jones was shared within hours of the end of the game.

Henry McKenna of Fox Sports revealed it in a piece detailing why more blame for the Patriots' failures should be put on Belichick's shoulders. It's a fair argument since roster building is an essential part of creating a successful team, and unfortunately, Belichick has not done that since Jones was drafted two years ago.

It's coupled with the quarterback's poor performance, adding more layers to why he is struggling so much in a year that was believed to be a bounce-back season for the once-promising player.

That frustration is felt in the quote shared by McKenna, which also suggests that nearly no quarterback would thrive on a team with the offense that Jones has been given.

"No matter how good of cook you are, you cannot make garbage taste good. Even if it was not Mac at QB, what QB would want to play here under these conditions?"

The source of the quote is not clear and likely never will be. But the damage is probably done already, another bad sign for Jones' attempt to remain in the good graces of Belichick.

Jones was asked about it during his weekly appearance on WEEI's "Jones & Mego with Arcand," the quarterback denied knowing where the quote came from and rejected the premise of what it implied about the state of the Patriots.

"I disagree with that. We have really talented guys that I've been fortunate to work with."

Regardless of whether he's being truthful, he cannot be expected to co-sign the quote, even if he agrees with it. However, he would have every right to agree with it because he hasn't had an easy start to his NFL career.

No matter what take you have on him as a quarterback, claiming he has had an easy go in New England so far would be disingenuous.

Some may take issue with the fact that he didn't own it, but given the circumstances he finds himself currently in, like fighting to remain the starting quarterback of a team in the NFL, there's no chance he would risk it further by adding fuel to a simmering fire.

With that said, it will likely become a point he will need to address when the team returns to Gillette Stadium on Tuesday as they shift their focus to the Las Vegas Raiders. Considering their recently patched-up relationship from this summer and now seemingly losing the trust of his head coach again, it appears to be another uncomfortable situation for the quarterback.