NFL Rumors: Seahawks Are Team To Watch In Mac Jones Trade

Mac Jones might not return as quarterback of the New England Patriots next season, so speculation surrounding the 25-year-old’s future opens the floodgates for rumors and links to potential landing spots across the league.

New England is under pressure this offseason to prove itself after a dreadful 4-13 finish at the bottom of the AFC East this past season. Already, the organization’s appointed a new head coach — Jerod Mayo — which could be the start of several big changes to come. With possession of the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft, the door is open for a new face at quarterback, which would be the signal to Jones being out as quarterback of the Patriots.

At the same time, it could open up a clean slate for Jones elsewhere. Considering Jones got off to an encouraging start as a rookie in 2021, finishing second in voting for Offensive Rookie of the Year, interest in the Alabama product might not be completely dried out. According to Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, there’s one NFC team to look out for.

“One thing that I’ve picked up in the last couple of weeks is that one team to keep an eye on for Mac Jones is the (Seattle) Seahawks,” Bedard reported on the “Greg Bedard Patriots Podcast” with Nick Cattles. “Elliot Wolf and John Schneider worked together in Green Bay. So that’s easy. It’ll be interesting to see who Wolf and (Alonzo) Highsmith do trade with. … I think John Schneider is a guy who looks back at his college evaluations of players. I think that he liked Mac Jones coming out. I think a lot of people are wondering what exactly happened to him here, and they’re probably doing due diligence with the Patriots on that.”

Last season, Seattle ran with Geno Smith at quarterback for 15 starts. The Seahawks finished a mediocre 9-8, ranking 20th in touchdowns (23) and 16th in passing yards (4,167).

“Geno Smith is not their franchise quarterback for multiple years, so why not take a chance, a flyer on a Mac Jones to get him evaluated?” Bedard added.

Jones too didn’t showcase an elite campaign by any means, however, teams like the Seahawks could take into account the various forms of instability that New England subjected him to navigate. Three offensive coordinators — Matt Patricia, Joe Judge and Bill O’Brien — were hired under Jones’ three seasons with the team. When New England had a chance to retain ex-No. 1 wideout Jakobi Meyers, the organization let the Las Vegas Raiders swoop in and instead gave a washed JuJu Smith-Schuster a three-year, $25.5 million deal.

Pinning all the blame on Jones and the regression of his development would be disingenuous, especially considering how poorly the Patriots have handled their four seasons without Tom Brady. That alone could motivate Jones to push for a departure and fresh start outside of Foxborough.