The New England Patriots are finalizing a deal to send quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, team sources confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday. The Patriots acquired the Jaguars’ sixth-round pick in exchange for Jones, according to a team source.
The trade cannot be processed until the new league year, which begins Wednesday.
Two years after reaching the Pro Bowl as a rookie who was viewed as the next franchise quarterback for New England, Jones was sent to his hometown Jacksonville as part of a trade that gives him a fresh start after a tumultuous last two years with the Patriots.
It’s the end of a labored saga between Jones and New England, one that crumbled under three different offensive coordinators in three years and a locker room that lost faith in him amid his handling of multiple benchings from then coach Bill Belichick.
For the Patriots, it’s the clearest sign yet of something that’s been known – they are looking for a new quarterback. They’re expected to be active in the free-agent market for a veteran quarterback once negotiations are allowed at noon Monday, potentially eyeing a reunion with Jacoby Brissett. A move like that would still keep the option open for them to draft a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick.
For Jones, it’s a much-needed re-set after trust fractured with New England. After a promising rookie season, Belichick tapped former defensive specialist Matt Patricia to run the offense, and Jones’ production cratered from there. Relationships frayed, too, over disagreements with the way Jones was coached and how he behaved on the field.
Then last season with Bill O’Brien running the team’s offense, Jones’ performance didn’t improve.
He completed 65 percent of his passes in 11 starts, while throwing 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, eventually losing his job for good to Bailey Zappe. Now he heads to the Jaguars to backup Trevor Lawrence before Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in 2021, becomes a free agent next year.
This story will be updated.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
