Report: Patriots teammates ‘sick’ of Mac Jones originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
With a new coach in Jerod Mayo calling the shots after the mutually agreed upon departure of Bill Belichick, it seems like a change at quarterback for the New England Patriots is all but inevitable, as well.
After being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe halfway through the Patriots’ failed season, Jones made an unexpected appearance at Mayo’s introductory press conference sporting Patriots’ workout gear, which according to a report from Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal, rubbed his teammates the wrong way.
“He was in his workout gear, which is ironic since he cleared the entire locker at the end of the season,” a team source told Bedard. “I mean, come on man.”
While the team had already seemingly moved on from the Alabama product, who led the team to a 2-9 record throwing for just 2,120 yards and 10 touchdowns with 12 interceptions prior to his benching, it seems that Jones’ handling of being sent to the bench has not been taken kindly by his teammates.
“Everyone’s watched him play, they’ve watched him act like a prima donna,” the team source added of Jones. “The team is sick of it, everyone’s sick of it.”
This new report comes in contrast to a previous comment made by Jones’ successor Zappe, who claimed that the 2021 first round pick handled his benching well, adding that he helped Zappe prepare for games each week.
Mark Daniels of MassLive also jumped in to defend Jones, saying that he was in workout clothes because he works out at Gillette Stadium during the offseason, just as he did last year as well.
The New England Patriots will ultimately make their decision on a quarterback ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, where they hold the third overall pick. With Caleb Williams and Drake Maye likely to go one and two, respectively, the Patriots could take LSU product Jayden Daniels, or gamble with a QB they already have and take a generational talent in WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
