Mac Jones had a really good rookie season for the New England Patriots.
But what if the young quarterback already peaked?
It's a scenario an NFL executive recently raised to Heavy.com's Matt Lombardo, and it's a hypothetical Bill Belichick and company obviously must be mindful of as they plot their path forward in Foxboro.
"The thing with Mac Jones is that he's going to be the same player," the NFC personnel exec told Lombardo. "He's the same guy he was last year, and he'll be the same guy 10 years from now. The only reason he was a Pro Bowl type quarterback (last season) is because he has a hell of a running game, a hell of a defense, a hell of a team around him, and the greatest coach to ever do it."
Jones, the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, started all 17 regular-season games and New England's lone playoff game -- a 47-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills -- last season. The 23-year-old totaled 3,801 passing yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl selection and finishing second to Cincinnati Bengals stud wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase in Rookie of the Year voting.
It wasn't an eye-popping performance, by any means, but it was impressive when you consider Jones' youth and inexperience at the highest level. Jones, who won a national championship at Alabama, looked poised beyond his years, displaying the exact type of leadership most teams covet in a franchise QB.
It's never really been about what's between Jones' ears, though. His high football IQ is obvious. Instead, the questions about Jones -- before the draft and that persist today -- center around his physical tools. There's a reason he was the fifth quarterback selected in the first round -- behind Trevor Lawrence (No. 1), Zach Wilson (No. 2), Trey Lance (No. 3) and Justin Fields (No. 11) -- and Jones still hasn't totally quelled those concerns, in large because there were some occasional hiccups in 2021, as well.
"What I really like about Mac Jones is that he's going to play every Sunday," the exec told Lombardo. "He may throw for 250-300 yards every week, he's going to be smart, he's not going to have a lot of turnovers, and he's going to be the 'move the chains' guy. The same thing he was last year."
It's said the best ability is availability. And Jones proved dependable in his first NFL season. There's really no reason to expect any regression in that regard in Year 2 or beyond. Thus, it's no wonder Belichick is high on the happy-go-lucky signal-caller, who turns 24 on Labor Day.
But the reality is the NFL has become increasingly dependent on the passing game in recent years. So while Jones might be excellent at controlling the tempo and limiting mistakes, he'll almost certainly need make strides in the playmaking department. The art of dinking and dunking simply is archaic.
The Patriots at some point will need a game changer, not a game manager. Can Jones be that guy?
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