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Julian Edelman believes Mac Jones is broken, but holds more responsibility for his regression
There's a lot of debate about how Mac Jones's career has transpired and what has all led to the quarterback's regression over the last two years. He came into the league looking like the perfect fit to take over the franchise, leading the Patriots to the playoffs after the team missed it the season before.
But since his rookie year, it's all gone downhill, and he appears to have hit rock bottom this season as he is now benched for his backup, Bailey Zappe.
Many have expressed their takes on how Jones has gotten to this point and who deserves the most blame. Most have shared their belief that Bill Belichick is the guiltiest party and deserves the most responsibility, but Julian Edelman shared a differing opinion while appearing on "Patriots Talk Podcast" earlier this week.
"I mean, last year was definitely a tough situation. But I think of it like this. If you're a guy, you figure your way out how to make plays. If you're a guy in this league, you do that.
... It's a tough situation. I feel bad for the kid. It was tough but he didn't help himself with how he acted in a lot of ways. You can't follow up a guy that was notoriously known to take hard coaching (Tom Brady), who did it for 20 years, and yeah there was friction here or there or whatever, but we never really heard about it out of Tom's camp. We never heard about that."
Providing Jones with some leniency for last year should be the norm given the circumstances, and maybe comparing him to Tom Brady isn't the best way to get his point across. But Edelman makes a fair point that his behavior last season may have had a more prolonged lasting impact on the team and his psyche, especially considering how Belichick and others reacted to his multiple outbursts throughout the year.
Because of that alleged friction, the belief is Jones is likely done in New England no matter how Zappe performs or the season ends. It's a sentiment that Edelman shares, but he still feels the young quarterback could have a good career elsewhere in the league.
"You never know, he could have a career that (works out). I just don't think it's gonna happen in New England. I think he's definitely broken. Maybe he goes on and gets another shot somewhere, but sometimes you gotta toughen it out."
No matter how you feel about Jones and his time in New England, the hope should be that he can have the best career he can no matter where he goes. If it's not with the Patriots, then wherever he goes, hopefully, he can accomplish that in some capacity.