Patriots Rumors: Mac Jones ‘Refused’ This Idea After Benching

Mac Jones stayed in the picture after losing the Patriots’ starting quarterback job, as he was Bailey Zappe’s backup for the remainder of the final six weeks of the season.

But if Bill Belichick and company had it their way, Jones would have disappeared once he was demoted.

In a column published Sunday evening — a few hours after the Patriots reportedly agreed to trade Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars — NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran revealed a moment of defiance for the 2021 first-rounder amid his New England downfall.

“Jones rotted on the bench for the final six games,” Curran wrote. “The Patriots wanted to put him on IR. He refused to go. Belichick got one more shot in after the bell by making Jones inactive for the final game of the season, opting to go with Zappe and newly-added Nathan Rourke as starter and backup.”

Perhaps Jones thought his situation in Foxboro, Mass. would improve once Belichick left and the new regime took over. But ultimately, New England thought a separation was in the best interest of both sides. Jones likely won’t see much playing time with the Jaguars, but he reportedly is “looking forward to the next challenge” in his hometown.

As for the Patriots, they likely will try to find their next franchise quarterback in next month’s draft. It would behoove Jerod Mayo and company to learn from the Jones experiment as they usher in a new signal-caller to the forefront of the organization.