How the Patriots Can Learn from the Failed Mac Jones Experiment

The Patriots have officially traded quarterback Mac Jones to his hometown Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round pick. According to CBS Sports Jonathan Jones, Jacksonville was the only team to offer compensation.

The move concludes a disastrous two-season stretch that saw the former 15th overall pick’s play sharply decline, ultimately ending with him losing the locker room.

Through his 11 games as a starter last season, Jones led the NFL in turnover-worthy plays due to a combination of poor mechanics and unjustifiable decision-making. His footwork and willingness to step into throws, particularly against pressure, deteriorated. He largely shied away from throwing downfield as the season went on, even after checking into plays specifically designed to do so.

To make matters worse, reports surfaced that teammates soured on his attitude, and his relationship with former backup Bailey Zappe became so unhealthy that Zappe would watch film with the wide receivers to avoid being in the quarterback’s room. This added to prior criticism of how Jones carried himself at times, as he also came under fire the season before due to poor body language.

It’s clear Jones didn’t do himself any favors, but the way New England handled their 1st-round quarterback was inexcusable.

Jones’ limited skill set may have kept him from ever breaking into the upper-echelon of NFL passers, but he showed the intelligence, accuracy, and work ethic to make New England a contender.

One season after winning a National Championship on a loaded Alabama roster,  Jones showed his point-guard skill set could carry over to the NFL. It was an imperfect first season, but Jones did enough to dethrone Cam Newton with a strong summer, earn the respect of teammates and coaches by driving a complicated Josh McDaniels offense, get into the playoffs, and make the Pro Bowl as a top alternate.

Things were looking up for the Patriots’ storied franchise in the wake of a disappointing end to the Tom Brady era, but those hopes were dashed when Josh McDaniels and several other coaches left for Las Vegas.

Here’s why the Mac Jones experiment failed and how New England can avoid making similar mistakes when they inevitably take a quarterback in April.

Provide Consistent Coaching

When McDaniels became the Raiders’ head coach, it was clear Bill Belichick and the Patriots weren’t prepared to replace him or the assistants the longtime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach brought with him.

Former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia was given the impossible task of completely overhauling the offense, which was attempting to shift towards the West Coast scheme sweeping the league. He also coached the offensive line and helped with renovations to the team’s facilities. Career special teams coach Joe Judge became the new quarterbacks coach despite having zero career experience in the role.

It was clear, both internally and externally, that this experiment would fail, and it did so in spectacular fashion. Jones’ passer rating plummeted from a solid 92.5 to a subpar 84.8. His play-action rate, which was a major factor in his success as a rookie, dropped by over 10% because the offense was forced to scrap many of the concepts they repped during summer installs.

The team tried to course-correct by replacing Patricia and Judge with Bill O’Brien, who seemed like a perfect fit as someone with experience as an offensive coordinator in both New England and Alabama. Unfortunately, tight ends coach Will Lawing was the only assistant coach O’Brien had prior experience with, and this disconnect contributed to significant dysfunction behind the scenes.

The Jerod Mayo-era Patriots seem keenly aware that stability on the offensive staff was needed. De facto general manager Eliot Wolf recruited several coaches he has experience with from his time with the Browns and Packers. The offense will now be helmed by former Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. Van Pelt has yet to call plays on a regular basis but offers a wealth of knowledge as a former player and longtime coach. He is also renowned for his likable and galvanizing personality, and it is believed he plans to stay in New England for the foreseeable future.

Van Pelt will be assisted by several former or longtime colleagues, including senior offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney, offensive line coach Scott Peters, and tight ends coach Bob Bicknell. While McCartney’s experience coaching quarterbacks is limited, Van Pelt is expected to be heavily involved in the quarterback room. Given his experience playing the position at LSU, McCartney should also be able to relate to the players under his tutelage.

Time will tell if this group can bring credibility back to the Patriots’ offense, but building a staff with familiarity and experience in a number of different systems feels like a strong first step.

Build a Strong Offensive Line

Outside of having a different offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in each of his three seasons in New England, poor offensive line play was the biggest factor in Jones’ decline between 2022 and 2023.

The Patriots allowed a 23.4% pressure rate with Jones under center in 2021, the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL. That number increased to 26.4% in 2022 and a whopping 32.7% in 2023. He was also knocked down on over 10% of dropbacks for the first time in his career.

Injuries, Isaiah Wynn’s decline, Cole Strange’s inconsistent rookie year, and Trent Brown’s drama-filled final season were significant contributors. But the team also allowed Joe Thuney and Ted Karras to walk in free agency, traded Shaq Mason for scraps, and failed to spend premium capital on the offensive tackle position. This forced New England to settle for a group of unproven and aging veterans and make last-minute trades for Vederian Lowe and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. before the season.

Moving forward, building up the trenches has to be a consistent priority, and bringing back cornerstone Mike Onwenu is a necessary first step in that plan.

There may be concerns regarding fair compensation and the versatile lineman’s best fit in Van Pelt’s scheme. But none of the team’s free agents are more deserving of a big deal, and the offense has too many holes to enter the draft with former Steeler Chukwuma Okorafor as their best tackle, though bringing in the former Steeler as young, experienced depth was a solid move

Signing left tackle Jonah Williams to start and drafting a developmental player early should provide the stability New England has lacked at the position.

Finally, the Patriots’ interior desperately needed a veteran presence in 2023, as Atonio Mafi and Jake Andrews clearly weren’t ready for starting duty. James Ferentz filled that role on paper, but he was more of a coach than a player in his final career season. Adding a quality backup with positional versatility would be a wise move to round out the line, especially with Cole Strange coming off a season-ending ACL injury.

Add a True #1 Receiver

Jones had some solid security blankets throughout his Patriots tenure in Jakobi Meyers, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, and Rhamondre Stevenson. DeMario Douglas also provided a much-needed spark despite rookie growing pains.

That said, the offense hasn’t had an attention-grabbing pass-catcher since Julian Edelman, which has made their offensive deficiencies even more glaring.

New England tried to address the position by drafting speedster Tyquan Thornton early in 2022, but the undersized receiver has struggled to stay healthy and is significantly behind in his development. And the ill-advised decision to replace Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who looked significantly less explosive after suffering an ACL injury in the 2022 playoffs, further exacerbated matters.

DeVante Parker provided an outside vertical element at times in 2022, and he regularly made jaw-dropping catches during the offseason program. But the oft-injured receiver couldn’t stay on the field, and he was a virtual non-factor when playing with Jones last season. Parker picked things up a bit when Zappe took the reigns, but his play was still up-and-down, and effort was a consistent issue.

Moving forward, the team cannot continue to kick the can down the road, as even the best quarterbacks need at least one game-changing pass-catcher. Eliot Wolf has expressed his desire to weaponize the offense, and New England reportedly plans on being active and aggressive in their pursuit of a top receiver.

Calvin Ridley is the only player set to hit the market who fits that profile, and according to ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler, the Patriots are expected to “swing big” in an effort to acquire the explosive wideout. Other big-play free-agent options include Marquise Brown, Darnell Mooney, and Gabe Davis, but they are more complementary pieces and come with significant concerns regarding consistency.

Luckily for the Patriots, this year’s draft class is full of talented wide receivers who can be impact players at the next level. If New England can recruit Ridley, re-sign Kendrick Bourne to a modest deal, and add at least two high-upside weapons to their receiving corps, that should provide a strong foundation for a young quarterback to grow with as the team enters a new era.