Bill Belichick mostly discussed the Patriots' first three 2023 draft picks when he spoke with reporters late Friday night. But New England's head coach did face one line of questioning about Mac Jones -- and offered some notable quotes on the subject.
Speaking over Zoom after Day 2 of the NFL draft, Belichick was asked about the rumor that he "shopped" Jones in trade talks this offseason and about the lukewarm public comments he's given on the third-year quarterback in recent months.
Belichick initially replied that he was "not going to respond to the anonymous quotes." Then, after being asked directly whether Jones is the Patriots' starting QB "as of right now," he said:
"Yeah, I mean, look, Mac's been our quarterback for two years. And as I tell the team every year: each player, each coach, we all have to reestablish and prove ourselves every year. That's what this league is. That's for all of us. 2023 is '23. We'll see how '23 goes."
Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien offered a similar take on a potential Jones-versus-Bailey Zappe QB competition earlier in the day, saying: "Everything we do here is always based on competition."
Belichick then was asked whether he still feels the same way about Jones as he did last summer, when he raved during training camp about the young signal-caller's "dramatic improvement" and "tremendous strides."
His response: "Absolutely."
NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported Thursday that Belichick and team owner Robert Kraft both did not want to trade Jones and that the Patriots would not draft a quarterback in Round 1. They used each of their first three picks on defensive players, taking cornerback Christian Gonzalez in Round 1, defensive end Keion White in Round 2 and linebacker/safety Marte Mapu in Round 3.
The Patriots own a total of nine additional picks on Day 3 of the draft. It's unclear whether they plan to add another QB in the later rounds.
