Ex-Patriots Staffer Dumps Cold Water On Mac Jones Trade Rumors

A former colleague of Bill Belichick doesn’t see the Patriots trading Mac Jones ahead of the 2023 season.

New England dominated NFL headlines this past week when ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported the organization “shopped” Jones this offseason. The rumor wasn’t a total stunner, as Belichick at the recent NFL annual meeting did not endorse the 2021 first-rounder as the Patriots’ starting quarterback. Jones also was involved in a mini QB controversy during his sophomore season, which saw the Alabama product struggle mightily under the direction of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.

But Michael Lombardi, a Patriots assistant to the coaching staff in the mid-2010s, isn’t buying into the noise.

“The idea he (Belichick) is shopping Mac is against everything he would do,” Lombardi said on the “GM Shuffle” podcast, as transcribed by ESPN. “First of all, he’s the most secretive person in the league. He’s not going to tell you anything he’s doing; even some people in the organization don’t know. But if somebody comes to him and tells him, ‘I’ll give you a (first-round pick) for Mac,’ does that mean he’s shopping him? No. That just means somebody asked the question. I think we’re at a semantical issue here.

“Did the Patriots mess up with their decision with the staffing (last season)? That’s fairly obvious, and I think (Belichick’s) admitted that. Was Mac Jones’ behavior conducive to that of an ultimate leader? No. He’s got to admit that too. So there’s culpability on both sides. The only way they’re going to improve is (acknowledging that) together.”

Several follow-ups from trusted reporters after Florio’s bombshell indicated the Patriots aren’t looking to move off Jones. However, that doesn’t mean the 24-year-old will be behind center for New England in Week 1 when it opens its 2023 season.