Should Mac Jones Influence Patriots’ Julio Jones Pursuit? NFL Writer Explains

When an NFL team brings on a potential franchise quarterback of the future, the organization seemingly wants to do everything it can to set the signal-caller up to succeed.

For the Patriots, an option to help achieve this goal apparently is more than accessible.

Julio Jones appears to be well on his way out of Atlanta, especially now that the all-important June 1 benchmark is upon us. New England has been tabbed as a sensible landing spot for Jones, largely due to the fact that the Patriots are one of only a handful of teams that wouldn’t have to do a ton of financial juggling to add the seven-time Pro Bowl selection.

But the Patriots, as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer recently explained on NBC Sports Boston’s “The Next Pats Podcast,” also make sense as a fit for Jones given their QB situation.

“With all these young quarterbacks, we talk about that window,” Breer told host Phil Perry, as transcribed by NBCSB. “To take advantage of that window, the guy’s gotta be rolling going into Year 2. Realistically, if you really hit on that pick, you’re probably paying him after Year 3. That’s what history tells us. (Deshaun) Watson got paid after Year 3, I think Josh Allen’s gonna get paid after Year 3, (Patrick) Mahomes got paid after Year 3, (Jared) Goff got paid after Year 3, (Carson) Wentz. If you hit on that pick, you’re paying him after Year 3.

“So that’s what’s interesting about it to me. That’s how I think you tie the whole thing together. If you bring in Julio, you give yourself a better chance to have Mac (Jones) really rolling going into Year 2, and now all of a sudden we can really take advantage of having that quarterback on a rookie deal window.”

The Patriots’ 2021 first-round pick already finds himself in a pretty good situation. New England now has two top-tier tight ends, an above-average stable of running backs and one of the better offensive lines in football. Providing the Alabama product with an elite deep threat could make his transition to the NFL level a seamless one.