Patriots Great Sees Mac Jones Staying With New England Next Season

A change of scenery this offseason probably would do New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones a world of good.

Jones may wish to be traded or released following a tumultuous season that saw him sit the last six games of the campaign. But the much-maligned signal-caller may just end up sticking with the Patriots for the final season of his rookie deal -- the Patriots will have to decide this spring if they want to pick up Jones' fifth-year option.

Three-time Super Bowl champion James White believes it could play out that way as he told MassLive's Karen Guregian on the "Eye on Foxborough" podcast that he feels it's a very realistic possibility that Jones gets one last shot with the Patriots next season.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Everybody's saying, 'Trade and release,' and all that stuff. Maybe a change of scenery is possibly what he wants, which could be good for him. But I've been saying all along I can very well see him being on the roster," White said. "He can be a guy competing for a starting job, whether he actually wins out or not, whether they draft a rookie, whether they bring in a veteran guy. He's had success in this league the last two years.

"It hasn't gone his way, but if you bring in the right offensive coordinator, you allow him to compete with somebody else, who knows what may shake out next season?"

Jones once looked like the future of the franchise when the Patriots used the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select the Alabama product. But now after three seasons, it feels that Jones has no future to speak of with New England.

But with a new regime led by Jerod Mayo taking over for Bill Belichick, perhaps the Patriots see Jones as a salvageable asset, especially with a new offensive coordinator helping him. Jones put together a promising rookie season before dropping off precipitously as New England's offense was derailed with Belichick appointing Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to guide the unit in 2022. And things didn't improve with Bill O'Brien as the offensive coordinator in 2023.

There's plenty of rumors that Jones has lost the faith of those in the Patriots locker room, which could ultimately lead to his departure. He reportedly angered some members of the organization for attending Mayo's introductory press conference last week, but his presence reportedly was mostly because he's continued working out at Gillette Stadium even with the season over.

That could be a sign that the Patriots will stick it out with Jones for one more season. According to Spotrac, Jones is scheduled to make $2.8 million in 2024, making him a cheap option even if he ends up being the backup to whoever the Patriots draft with the third overall pick.