Mac Jones Made This Surprise Change After Patriots Benching

FOXBORO, Mass. -- Mac Jones didn't mail it in after he lost his job as the Patriots' starting quarterback. In fact, he said that demotion prompted him to work even harder behind the scenes.

Speaking with reporters Monday morning for the first time in weeks, Jones said he packed on seven or eight pounds of muscle over the final few weeks of the season.

"I feel like I made progress, especially these last couple weeks," Jones said one day after watching the Patriots' season-ending home loss to the New York Jets from the sideline. "I've been here early, left late. A lot of people would have just said, 'I'm done, and I'm not going to do that.' I've worked out hard. Put on seven to eight pounds of muscle in the last couple of weeks here.

"So that's where I'm at right now, and what I'm looking for is the next opportunity. I know it's going to come, but at the end of the day, as a quarterback and a competitor, you've got to be ready, right? So I'm going to be ready."

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Jones has one year remaining on his Patriots contract, but odds are that next opportunity will come outside New England. He did not play in the final six games this season, and the Patriots demoted him from second to third string for Sunday's finale, perhaps to avoid a potential injury and preserve his trade value.

Asked whether he hopes to get a fresh start elsewhere this offseason, Jones replied: "We'll see."

"I'm going to compete regardless," he said. "I'm really happy to be in the NFL and be a quarterback in the NFL. Obviously, this year didn't go great, and I'm going to do everything I can and have done to get back on the right track."

Jones said he has great relationships inside the Patriots locker room and "let people down with (his) play" this season. The 2021 first-round draft pick completed 64.9% of his passes, threw 10 touchdowns with 12 interceptions and was benched four times before Bailey Zappe permanently replaced him in Week 13.

The Patriots won just two of Jones' 11 starts, and despite some promising early outings, the former Alabama star ranked 30th in the NFL in yards per attempt, 31st in passer rating and 32nd in interception rate.

“A lot of that stuff’s in my control, and some of it’s not," said Jones, who was hindered by poor offensive line play and a lack of high-end talent at wide receiver. "I’m going to do everything I can for my next opportunity, whether that’s here (or elsewhere), and really just push forward and continue to be Mac. That’s what it’s all about."

Zappe said Monday that he hopes to get a chance to start for the Patriots next season. But they'll surely make upgrading their quarterback room an offseason priority and could address the position with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.