Bill O’Brien Makes Notable Shift With Latest Mac Jones Comments

After Mac Jones put on a miserable performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5, Bill O’Brien confirmed the Patriots quarterback would start the following week.

After Jones struggled against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6, O’Brien again confirmed the third-year QB’s job status for the following weekend.

But New England’s offensive coordinator made a notable change Monday morning when asked whether Jones would start Sunday against the New York Giants.

“For me, I basically get everybody ready to play,” O’Brien said during a video call. “So, what we try to do is every week … get Mac ready to play, get Bailey ready to play. And that’s what we do. And so, at the end of the day, Bill (Belichick) will make that decision at some point — and we’ll go from there. But I do believe that we have to continue like we do all the time: to earn it on the practice field.”

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O’Brien’s remarks don’t necessarily indicate Jones has lost his job. But they at least suggest the Patriots are open to all options after Jones was benched in their Week 10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.

That said, O’Brien confirmed Jones saw first-team reps during New England’s bye-week practices.

“The other day at practice, Mac took the first-team reps,” O’Brien said. “Bailey( (Zappe) rotated in there. Will Grier rotated in there.”

O’Brien also insisted he still has confidence in Jones and pushed back against the notion that the 2021 first-round pick has the “yips.”

“I don’t believe in yips or anything like that,” O’Brien said. “Mac has played well, Mac will play well again. Like Bill always says, and I totally agree with this, we believe in the guys that we have on this team at every position. And like I said, guys have to practice well, and we have to coach better.”

The Patriots are scheduled to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before taking Thursday off to celebrate Thanksgiving. They’ll return to the practice field Friday before traveling to New York on Saturday.

Belichick will speak to reporters Tuesday and Friday. Whether he’ll offer any clear answers about New England’s quarterback situation remains to be seen.

The Patriots and Giants are scheduled to kick off from MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in a game that could have huge draft implications for both franchises.