Patriots Rumors: How Mac Jones Irked Bill Belichick Before Second Season

A new report from MassLive's Mark Daniels revealed Mac Jones and Bill Belichick effectively had an irreparably broken relationship by the end of the Patriots' 2023 season.

That's not terribly surprising, as both Jones and Belichick were in unfavorable positions in 2023 and New England's latest campaign was a full-fledged disaster. But according to Daniels, the fractures in the Jones-Belichick dynamic started showing long ago.

Jones' decline started in his sophomore season when he struggled under the watch of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The 2021 first-rounder was coming off a Pro Bowl rookie season, and he reportedly didn't take kindly to a shift in direction for the offense.

"According to a team source, Jones' frustration over the insertion of Patricia, and moving to a more Shanahan-based offense was immediate," Daniels wrote. "Before training camp, he showed resistance to changing offensive systems especially after having success with (Josh) McDaniels. That drew Belichick's ire.

"As the Patriots offensive scheme changed, the lack of continuity contributed to more mistakes on offense around the quarterback position. Jones grew frustrated by the lack of results while Belichick grew frustrated with his quarterback. With players not on the same page, Jones struggled mentally, which resulted in him playing worse."

Jones' play was expected to improve under new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, but the Alabama product ended up playing even worse as an NFL junior. Belichick and O'Brien now are both out of the picture in New England, and we shouldn't be surprised if Jones is rostered elsewhere in 2024, as well.

However, new head coach Jerod Mayo reportedly is keeping an open mind with Jones, who might have some level of a future in Foxboro, Mass., even though the Patriots aren't expected to pick up his fifth-year option.