Julian Edelman Believes Patriots Must ‘Stick It Out’ With Mac Jones

Multiple retired Patriots players haven’t been shy about voicing their criticism of Mac Jones, but one critic believes New England has very few options outside of the third-year quarterback.

Julian Edelman has been tough on Jones in the past two seasons. The Patriots Super Bowl champion wanted to see more out of the 2021 first-round pick and wasn’t pleased about his on-field outbursts during his terrible play.

However, when Edelman joined Von Miller on “The Voncast” on Wednesday, he admitted the problems for New England’s offense were multi-faceted and not just on Jones.

Edelman acknowledged the Patriots’ 1-5 slide must be tough on players like Matthew Slater, who played with Edelman during the franchise’s peak years. The Super Bowl LVIII also understood the work and preparation that goes into each week and empathized with how the team’s embarrassing losses must feel for everyone.

Miller asked Edelman if New England should make a move for a quarterback like Kirk Cousins.

“I would stick it out,” Edelman said. “They’re not going to pay Kirk next year. You’d rent Kirk Cousins if you had a shot unless you want to pay him for the next few years. I think you got to stick with Mac. This is where you see his mental toughness. When things aren’t at its best, a lot of characteristics come out of people, and that’s kind of when you want to evaluate them because that’s when you know you got a dawg or not.”

Miller, whose Buffalo Bills play the Patriots at Gillette Stadium this Sunday, admitted he’s liked what he’s seen from Jones and thought there were positives from the Patriots offense from what he’s seen on tape.

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Granted, Miller likely didn’t want to give New England bulletin board material on game week, even on his podcast. But Edelman wanted the Patriots to focus on the little things first before worrying about wins.

Bailey Zappe and Will Grier don’t appear to be options for New England, and Malik Cunningham’s role is unknown. But it appears the hybrid quarterback and wide receiver won’t be an option to replace Jones full-time.

The Patriots only can hope Miller and the Bills defense don’t have a field day against an offensive line that’s played terribly throughout the season.