Mac is back … to the bench.
The Patriots offense should have been better this year, after the expulsion of Matt Patricia and the reinvestment in Mac Jones as starting quarterback. While New England has backed Mac, the 2021 first-round pick hasn't quite reciprocated the faith.
That much was evident in Week 5, when, once again, Jones was benched in favor of backup quarterback Bailey Zappe in the midst of another Patriots blowout loss.
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If you have any questions about how Patriots fans feel about this, just check out the responses to the post of the news from the official Patriots X account:
Bailey Zappe is now in at quarterback.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 8, 2023
Speaking of questions, the Patriots may now have some serious questions at quarterback, and it comes during a week when Bailey Zappe, the Patriots backup, got a larger share of snaps during practice.
Why was Mac Jones benched?
The Patriots were in the middle of another waxing when the plug was pulled on the Jones start once again in the fourth quarter of what became a 34-0 loss to the Saints. It was the second consecutive week that the Patriots have benched Jones in favor of Zappe.
Jones was, once again, unproductive for an equally underwhelming Patriots offensive attack. At the time of his benching, Jones passed for 110 yards on 12-of-22 passing and two interceptions, including a Pick-6.
For some unknown reason, Jones' play has taken a significant downturn in recent weeks. After the first three games saw presentable numbers for Jones (65 percent completion rate, 748 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions), the success just hasn't been there through the air for No. 10 in the last two matchups.
Jones has thrown for just 260 yards and four interceptions with no touchdowns in the last two matchups, both big New England defeats.
Mac Jones first 3 games of 2023: 81/125 (65%), 748 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs
— Mark Daniels (@ByMarkDaniels) October 8, 2023
Mac Jones last 2 games: 24/43 (56%), 260 yards, 0 TDs, 4 INT
What on earth happened?
On one hand, Belichick may turn to the baked-in reasoning that he did last week, when he said the game was out of hand, and there was no reason to pull Jones. On the other hand, it's hard to ignore the failures of the Patriots with Jones under center in recent weeks.
To that end, Belichick made it clear that Jones is still the starter, so a permanent change may not be coming just yet.
"There are a lot of problems. Certainly wasn’t all him," Belichick said postgame.
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Mac Jones contract
Jones in Year 3 of his rookie contract, which is set at $15,586,352 in total. Jones' cap hit sits at $4,250,823 for the 2023 season. In 2024, Jones' cap hit sits at $4,959,294.
There are a few routes the Patriots could go following the season. If Jones is released, he will account for $4,959,294 in dead cap, per Spotrac.
But if they don't release him, then the biggest question remaining for the Patriots is what to do with Jones' fifth-year option following the 2023 season. New England will have to decide whether or not to exercise Jones' option for 2025 following the 2023 season. The option year will probably sit around $20 million, which will likely be a price too rich for a player of Jones' caliber.
Though we are a ways away from that, keeping up with the Jones doesn't seem to be an issue for the NFL anymore.