ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio sent the Patriots news cycle into a tizzy last week when he reported Bill Belichick “has shopped” quarterback Mac Jones to “multiple teams” this offseason.
Multiple subsequent reports suggested the word “shopped” was an exaggeration, but even if New England isn’t actively attempting to trade its third-year QB, it’s clear Belichick is not sold on Jones as his team’s long-term — or even short-term — answer behind center.
Belichick’s most recent public comments, during which he again declined to name Jones the starter over second-year backup Bailey Zappe, foreshadowed a forthcoming training camp competition between the two Patriots draftees. Jones, it seems, will need to outperform Zappe to prove to Belichick and the coaching staff that he deserves to keep his job.
The Patriots also will add at least one additional quarterback to their roster before spring practices begin next month. That could be a veteran who’s still lingering on the free agent market. Longtime NFL reporter Mike Giardi last week reported the team has “at least investigated” bringing in an experienced signal-caller to join Jones (who turns 25 in September) and Zappe (24 in April).
Or, New England could fill that hole on the depth chart — created by last month’s release of journeyman third-stringer Brian Hoyer — by drafting a QB for the fifth time in the last six years.
Doing so wouldn’t necessarily signal that Belichick and company are done with Jones. The Patriots always have worked to maintain solid depth at the game’s most important position, even during the peak of Tom Brady’s heyday. After each of Brady’s first two NFL MVP seasons (2007, 2010), they used a third-round pick on a quarterback (Kevin O’Connell, Ryan Mallett). They’ve drafted 12 QBs since Brady debuted in 2000, and eight of those picks came in Rounds 1-4, including both Jones (first round, 2021) and Zappe (fourth round, 2022).
If the Patriots grab another passer in the mid-to-late rounds of this month’s 2023 NFL Draft, that shouldn’t be viewed as a scathing indictment on Jones. Prospects who could be in New England’s crosshairs in that range include Houston’s Clayton Tune, Purdue’s Aiden O’Connell, Fresno State’s Jake Haener, TCU’s Max Duggan and UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Thompson-Robinson is an especially interesting one, as he had what amounted to a weeklong tryout for the Patriots’ coaching staff at the East-West Shrine Bowl. He was a five-year collegiate starter who played for a friend of Belichick in Bruins head coach Chip Kelly.
But could Belichick’s apparent reservations about Jones prompt the Patriots to invest a premium pick on a quarterback? That seems unlikely given their various other roster needs, but it was notable that New England carved out time during the NFL Scouting Combine to meet with projected first-rounder Anthony Richardson, a raw but tremendously talented 20-year-old out of Florida.
Many view Richardson as a likely top-five pick. But if he slides down toward the Patriots at No. 14, would Belichick see him as a worthwhile project and pull the trigger? Lance Zierlein, one of NFL Media’s top draft analysts, had the Patriots landing Richardson in his latest mock draft.
Another early-rounder of note is Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, who brings the experience (37 collegiate starts), accuracy (69.6% completion rate in 2022), decision-making (just 12 interceptions in college and two last season) and intangibles that New England traditionally has valued at the position. The drawbacks: At 25, Hooker already is older than Jones and Zappe, and the season-ending ACL tear he suffered last November likely will cause him to miss a good chunk of his rookie year. Those aren’t ideal attributes for a player who will have a steep NFL learning curve after running a relatively simplistic offense in college.
Hooker likely would have been a clear-cut first-rounder if not for the injury. Now, he seems likely to slide into Day 2. A potential Patriots target there? Perhaps.
The more likely scenario involves the Patriots waiting until Day 3 to grab a third QB — if they select one at all rather than opting for a veteran instead. But given the uncertainty that continues to swirl around that position group, an early-round surprise isn’t out of the question.
