Albert Breer joins Zolak & Bertrand to discuss details of Mac Jones trade after reports that he is being traded to Jacksonville in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
The Mac Jones era in New England ended Sunday when the Patriots traded the young quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick.
Jones' departure wasn't a surprise given the decline in performance we saw from him over the last two seasons. We can debate how much of his lackluster play was actually his fault -- it's no secret that the team didn't surround him with the best coaching situation or the most talent on offense -- but it clearly made sense for both sides to part ways.
What was the timeline of this trade? And what did the Patriots originally hope to acquire in exchange for Jones? Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed a couple important details Monday.
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"As far as how this happened, they made the decision at the NFL Scouting Combine that this is what they were going to do," Breer said on 98.5 The Sports Hub show Zolak & Bertrand.
"They sat down with Mac Jones at the beginning of last week and said this is the direction they planned on going. They asked him what he wanted out of it. The offer of the sixth-round pick, I believe the Patriots got that offer on Friday, and then they shopped it around on Saturday. They were looking for a fifth-round pick. I talked to a couple other teams that said they were offering Mac for a five, and they couldn't get a five for him."
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Only getting a sixth-round draft pick for Jones shows just how far his stock has fallen since his impressive 2021 rookie year.
Jones hit a new bottom in 2023 when he started 11 games and the Patriots won just two of them. He didn't play over the last six games of New England's season. Jones completed 64.9 percent of his pass attempts for 2,120 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was benched in four of his 11 games played.
Jones is from the Jacksonville area, so perhaps going home will help him reset and get his pro career back on track.
The Patriots now have Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke on their QB depth chart. It wouldn't be surprising if they drafted a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and/or signed a veteran in free agency.
