Shannon Sharpe Uses Funny Analogy To Sum Up Mac Jones-Patriots Problem

Shannon Sharpe believes Mac Jones and the Patriots need to go their separate ways.

That line of thinking started to percolate last season when Jones alarmingly regressed as an NFL sophomore. But the 2021 first-round pick somehow has been even worse this season, highlighted by the four benchings under his belt entering Week 12.

The latest demotion was made Sunday when New England pulled Jones for an even-worse Bailey Zappe at halftime of its eventual 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. The morning after the slop fest at MetLife Stadium, Sharpe explained the failing Jones-Patriots experiment in very straightforward terms.

"If I'm Mac Jones, how many times must your girlfriend break up with you, start dating someone else and you take her back?" Sharpe asked on ESPN's "First Take." "At some point in time it's, you know what, we ain't meant to be. We ain't meant to be. And Mac Jones and New England, they're not meant to be. It's really that simple."

The Patriots and Jones absolutely should break up for good after the season. But for now, the 25-year-old actually is helping New England by laying an egg every weekend. Jones' string of poor play has resulted in an improved 2024 draft standing for New England, which has a very real shot at picking inside the top three next spring.

With that in mind, maybe it should be Jones who starts for the Patriots on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers at Gillette Stadium. But much to the chagrin of many football fans, the decision probably won't be made until later in the week.