Jeff Howe of The Athletic made headlines Wednesday when he confidently speculated that Tom Brady and the Patriots could reunite next offseason. And you can bet hoards of New Englanders would love such a reunion to take place.
But what about Bill Belichick? Is the Patriots head coach in as much of a hurry to move on from Mac Jones?
ESPN’s Mike Reiss was asked about Howe’s article during his Wednesday appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” show. He indicated the Patriots, including Belichick, remain very high on Jones despite his underwhelming sophomore campaign.
“Full commitment to Mac,” Reiss said. “Like, make no mistake about it. They are all in on Mac. So, as we talk about this, I wouldn’t want anything to ever come across as if, like, they were second-guessing that position.”
Co-host Mark Bertrand then asked Reiss to clarify who, exactly, is “all in” on Jones.
“I think Belichick and the players,” Reiss said.
If Belichick indeed feels that way about Jones, he certainly does a great job of hiding his true feelings.
Belichick was notably non-committal when asked about Jones throughout the 24-year-old’s injury absence. His wishy-washy answers during news conferences led many to believe rookie Bailey Zappe could remain New England’s starting quarterback upon Jones’ return.
Of course, that didn’t happen, and Jones has been the Patriots’ full-time starter since getting back to full strength. The 2021 first-round pick is coming off a strong road performance against the Minnesota Vikings and will look to carry that momentum into Thursday night’s huge home game against the Buffalo Bills.
As for the Brady speculation, it’ll be interesting to see whether it resurfaces during the offseason.
