National Football League

No, the Patriots aren’t going to trade QB Mac Jones right now

Updated Apr. 5, 2023 4:50 p.m. ET

The New England Patriots aren't going to trade Mac Jones at this stage of the offseason, even with Pro Football Talk reporting that they have shopped their quarterback.

What is most likely is that they engaged in discussions with other teams — and, in turn, they assessed their quarterback's trade value. But they didn't pull the trigger. So right now, the Patriots' QB options could include Aaron Rodgers, Lamar Jackson or a draft pick. There's a tiny, tiny, tiny chance they could coax Tom Brady out of retirement. But let's not consider that option too seriously. He’s too busy taking care of his daughter’s cat, according to him.

New England isn't currently in on Jackson, according to a team source. If the Patriots are interested in Rodgers, they have not openly shown it. The New York Jets are Rodgers' only suitor so far. And so New England, which picks at No. 14 overall, would have to draft a quarterback in the first round just two years after doing exactly that.

It doesn't make sense through the Belichickian prism of logic.

And what if the Patriots targeted all or some of those options but got none? There's always the chance they'd have to revert to starting Bailey Zappe, who exceeded expectations in his four appearances in 2022 but is definitely not ready to take over a starting role. The fourth-round pick out of Western Kentucky may never be better than a backup-caliber quarterback.

His statistics were inflated by starts against two of the worst defenses in the NFL (the Lions and Browns). If teams took the offseason to study him, Zappe would likely look more like his third appearance, when he played three of the four quarters and completed 63.6% of his passes for 185 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

I get that the Patriots might not be sold on Jones. They certainly don't seem to be all-in. When asked if he would commit to Jones starting over Zappe in 2023, Bill Belichick left the door open.

"Everybody will get a chance to play," Belichick said during the NFL owners meetings in March, per Chris Mason of MassLive.com. "We'll play the best players."

Jones had a contentious stretch with the coaching staff in 2022. He regularly seemed in conflict with playcaller Matt Patricia and, at one point in the season, he said he "wanted to be coached harder" during an appearance on WEEI in Boston. During points in the season, Jones reached out to Alabama coaches to seek advice about how to improve the Patriots offense, per multiple reports.

Jones trade rumors fueled by souring relationship with Belichick

Eric Mangini, no stranger to being on the other side of a Bill Belichick grudge, tells Colin Cowherd why he's siding with the coach in this situation.

So maybe we'll see an open competition. But the Patriots are not in a good-enough position to move on from Jones without a safe — or better — option. Zappe isn't safe. The draft isn't likely to provide a Day 1 starter unless the Patriots trade into the top three picks, which would be a turnaround we've only seen with the Cardinals on Josh Rosen and Kyler Murray.

It sounds like a Jones trade would be going against owner Robert Kraft's preference.

"I'm a big fan of Mac," Kraft said. "He quarterbacked his rookie season and did a very fine job, I thought. We made the playoffs. I think we experimented with some things last year [coaching-wise] that frankly didn't work when it came to him, in my opinion. I think we made changes [this year] that I think put him in a good position to excel."

Do you sense some tension between Kraft and Belichick over staffing issues? Because I do. Belichick's decision to put Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the offense was a misstep. And Kraft isn't afraid to say it. It's rare to hear the owner openly voice a negative opinion about the team.

What's behind tension between Bill Belichick and Mac Jones?

Mac Jones reportedly called offensive coaches in Alabama last season, rubbing Bill Belichick the wrong way. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe react.

So we're seeing a complicated dynamic at play. And if a Jones trade went poorly for the Patriots, Belichick will have to answer to Kraft. In the past, Belichick could point to Kraft's Super Bowl trophy collection. But over the past few years, Kraft might respond: What have you done for me lately? That is, more or less, the NFL's mantra.

So, no, the Patriots will not trade Jones right now. Unless the team shockingly jumps into the Jackson or Rodgers sweepstakes after the draft, the Patriots will have Jones at QB1 for Week 1. New England has given the third-year quarterback plenty of new tools to succeed (OC Bill O'Brien, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, TE Mike Gesicki). If Jones can't excel in 2023, the Patriots will have no shortage of cap space in 2024. They might just look at that free-agency class of veterans to help Belichick get whatever number of wins he needs to surpass Don Shula on the all-time list.

That's the logical progression for the Patriots. Trading Jones would be radical — and extremely unexpected.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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