Mac Jones reportedly attempted to take matters into his own hands to fix a sputtering Patriots offense.
According to NBC Sports and Pro Football Talk analyst Chris Simms, Jones went behind Bill Belichick’s back in search of solutions. Mike Florio, who hosted the segment with Simms, said that Belichick made “Jones aware of it,” causing the outside conversations to stop during an 8-9 season that ended without a postseason berth.
“Mac Jones wasn’t happy,” Simms said Tuesday on “Pro Football Talk.” “He was telling people he wasn’t happy. He was calling people about, ‘Hey, can you help us with ideas and do stuff like that?’
“From my understanding, Belichick found out all these things. He found out that Mac was talking to people, and all this, and there was some back-channel conversations going on behind Belichick’s back. And I think that’s where it did get personal.”
It’s another twist to start the offseason for the Patriots, a period of time that’ll reportedly feature changes after a meeting between Belichick and owner Robert Kraft. Tension has already emerged, with the Boston Sports Journal reporting that players “understand that Jones and the offense were put in terrible positions by Belichick this season.”
Chris Simms, right, claimed Mac Jones went “behind Belichick’s back” to fix the New England offense. Getty Images
Belichick also didn’t commit to Jones as the team’s starter for 2023 during his end-of-season press conference, instead opting for a line about how Jones “has the ability to play quarterback in this league.“
Following a promising rookie season, Jones’ production went backwards in 2022. The Patriots didn’t name a true offensive coordinator — instead opting for longtime defensive coordinator Matt Patricia after dragging the play-caller decision into training camp and the preseason — and they topped 30 points just once all year. That led to New England failing to reach the postseason for the second time in the last three seasons.
Jones also suffered a high-ankle sprain during New England’s Week 3 loss to Baltimore, causing him to miss the next three games. That was when the quarterback drama began as rookie Bailey Zappe quarterbacked the Patriots to a 2-0 mark as the starter while Jones was out. Zappe completed 73 percent of his passes for 596 yards and four touchdowns, with just one interception, in that span.
Mac Jones’ stats experienced a drop-off in 2022, including his touchdown passes, which dropped from 22 in 2021 to 14 this season.. Getty Images
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick didn’t commit to Mac Jones as his 2023 starter during an end-of-season press conference. Getty Images
When Jones returned on Oct. 24, Zappe replaced the former first-round pick out of Alabama after Belichick benched the latter. Jones regained his starting role, but only helped New England generate a 5-5 record the rest of the season.
The Patriots still had a chance to squeak into the postseason with a Week 18 win over the Bills, but Buffalo returned two kickoffs for touchdowns and defeated New England, 35-23.
Mac Jones went behind Bill Belichick’s back to fix offense
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