At this point, it seems highly unlikely that Lamar Jackson will land with the Patriots. His future with the Baltimore Ravens still is up in the air, but a marriage between New England and the superstar quarterback feels like a major longshot.
Things felt quite differently a few weeks ago, though.
Jackson, free to speak with other teams while under the non-exclusive franchise tag, went public with a trade request. Hours later, Patriots owner Robert Kraft claimed rapper Meek Mill told him that Jackson wanted to play in New England. A wild few days ensued, with multiple credible reporters shutting down the Jackson-Patriots talk.
New England cornerback Jonathan Jones was asked about the speculation during a recent appearance on Josina Anderson’s “The Crew” podcast.
“We’re always in the business of getting good players,” Jones said. “That’s part of the game. You win with good players. The more good players you can have, the better your team’s gonna be. So, I don’t think we’re ever intentionally turning down good players.”
Anderson then asked Jones whether Jackson would be an upgrade over third-year quarterback Mac Jones, whose play has drawn immense criticism and whose support in New England appears tenuous at best. Jones did his best to answer a rather disingenuous question.
“You trying to get spicy,” he said. “I will say this, I will say they offer different things. Two different types of worlds. But you got one player who’s an MVP. … So, that’s not fair to compare apples to oranges, to a guy who’s going into Year 3 to improve, to an MVP candidate in this league.”
While the Jackson ship might’ve set sail from New England, there’s no guarantee that Jones will be the Patriots’ top quarterback in 2023.
New England recently hosted first-round QB prospect Will Levis for a pre-NFL draft visit, and one report indicates the Patriots have real interest in the Kentucky product. That said, rumors in the days leading up to a draft always should be taken with a grain of salt.
The Patriots are set to pick 14th overall in the first round, which will start Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
