ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio on Tuesday reported Bill Belichick “has shopped” Patriots quarterback Mac Jones to “multiple teams” this offseason.
The term “shopped” seems to be a bit of a misnomer.
Multiple outlets have since reported that New England isn’t actively attempting to trade its third-year QB. The latest came Wednesday from The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, who reported several teams with holes behind center were “never approached” by Belichick or the Patriots about a potential Jones trade.
Jones’ name may have — and likely did — come up in “offseason personnel conversations” with other NFL executives, Howe wrote, which “typically (run) the gamut of every player of substance.”
“But on Tuesday, several high-ranking executives from quarterback-needy teams in both the AFC and NFC told The Athletic the Patriots never approached them with the idea of trading Jones,” Howe continued. “While it’s impossible to be privy to every conversation, particularly the more casual talks at league events, it’s at minimum an indication Belichick hasn’t planted a ‘for sale’ sign in Jones’ front yard and texted the Zillow link to his entire contact list.
“If the Patriots were actually making Jones a readily available commodity, it’d be logical to speak with teams that had an obvious hole at quarterback.”
Jones is coming off a disappointing second season, but Belichick did him no favors by replacing longtime offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — under whom Jones thrived as a rookie — with the inexperienced duo of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Patricia and Judge have successful track records coaching defense and special teams, respectively, but their first attempt at leading an offense was an unmitigated disaster, and both were removed from their roles after the season.
The arrival of proven coordinator Bill O’Brien should help Jones rebound in Year 3, but he and Belichick first will need to repair their relationship. The head coach reportedly bristled at Jones’ handling of the team’s ineffective offensive coaching setup and has, for months now, refused to endorse the 24-year-old as New England’s locked-in starting QB.
It seems Jones — assuming he is not traded in the coming weeks — will need to beat out second-year backup Bailey Zappe in training camp to keep his job as QB1. Zappe played well last season while Jones missed time with a high ankle sprain, with the Patriots scoring 29 and 38 points in his two starts and winning both.
“Everybody will get a chance to play, and we’ll play the best players,” Belichick told reporters last week.
