Mac Jones takes another shot at Bill Belichick over Patriots tenure

The era of Mac Jones in New England began with a lot of hope and belief that the Patriots found the right guy for the job at the right time. They were just one season removed from Tom Brady leaving the team, having Cam Newton assume duties under center for the season between, and now it was the rookie's turn to show why he was the 15th overall pick.

What began as a promising tenure quickly plummeted the following year. Whether most of the blame can be placed on Josh McDaniels' exit is up for argument, but it certainly negatively impacted Jones' quarterback play from there on out.

The continuous downfall of Jones' quarterback career in Foxboro trickled into the 2023 season, a year filled with chaos behind the scenes and even on the field. It ultimately led to Bill Belichick deciding to bench the third year quarterback midway through the season, and eventually to Jerod Mayo trading him earlier this year.

Jones was sent back to his hometown team, the Jaguars, and appears to be enjoying his new environment in Florida. But that doesn't mean he forgets about his time in the northeast.

Although he has spoken mostly fondly about his time with the Patriots, it sounds like he might have just taken a shot at his former team while speaking to Jaguars reporters this past week.

Mac Jones might have just taken a subtle jab at the Patriots when speaking to Jaguars reporters

Trading Jones to the Jaguars was said to be a collective effort, a decision that Mayo claims they involved the quarterback in before agreeing to the deal. Because he grew up in the area, and the team happened to be interested, it worked out for Jones to go back home to revitalize his career.

The problem, of course, is that the Jaguars already have their starting quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, so Jones will likely not be the QB1 any time soon. But that hasn't hampered his experience thus far, even driving his new team crazy.

He spoke to reporters about his tenure thus far and credited the camaraderie with his quarterback teammates as to why it's been so good. And that's when it sounds like he sent a shot to his former team since that experience didn't end so positively.

"So we compete in that regard. We compete in every other regard, but the end of the day, we're on the same team. We're all working for a common goal. And that's every good team that I've been on. That's the case, you know, but the bad ones, not so much."

Considering how poorly the Patriots played with Jones under center over the last two years, it's fair to assume he would label them as bad teams, even if he were a significant part of why they were in that situation.

On top of that, a "bad team" isn't a label that only applies to losing efforts; it can also be attributed to a toxic locker room, a bad relationship with a coach, and more, all of which would apply to his most recent experience with the Patriots.

It might be looking too much into a simple statement, but it wouldn't be a stretch to believe Jones has some bitter feelings about the team that drafted him. And in some regard, he's not entirely wrong in feeling that way.

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