The upcoming NFL season could determine Mac Jones' future with the New England Patriots.
Jones is entering Year 3 of his NFL career. The 24-year-old quarterback enjoyed an encouraging rookie season, but his sophomore campaign left much to be desired in a dysfunctional offense led by Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. Now, Jones is poised for a bounce-back season with Bill O'Brien returning to Foxboro as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
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If O'Brien can help Jones take a step forward in his development, the Patriots will have a major decision to make in the offseason. They will need to either pick up or decline the 2021 first-round draft pick's fifth-year option by May 2024.
So should New England exercise Jones' option if he impresses in 2023? Tom E. Curran and Phil Perry debated on Wednesday's Early Edition.
"Why do you want to commit to the fifth year of him before the fourth year of him?" Curran asked. "There's no reason to make a massive commitment -- almost a (Tom) Brady-type commitment in 2020 that the Patriots refused to do -- to Mac Jones before you have to."
"That's in some ways why you pick up the fifth-year option," Perry responded. "You don't make the massive commitment. You don't make the five-year, $250 million type of offer to the guy because you're not sure. Because you want to buy yourself a little bit more time. That fifth-year option, if it is not all that far off from what it will be in 2024 for Tua Tagoviloa, which is about $23 million.
"So say it's $25 million for Mac Jones' fifth year. Even right now today -- and this is before quarterback salaries will balloon over the next couple of years -- $25 million per year in terms of average annual value, that's the 17th highest-paid veteran quarterback AAV-wise in the league. So why not pick it up, pay him like he's Geno Smith for one year if it comes to that or it buys you time to find out how good he is? You give him the big extension then if you want to."
Even though a $25 million AAV would only make Jones the 17th-highest-paid QB in the league, Curran is wary of the idea of the Patriots overpaying for Jones when they can keep him on a low salary in Year 4 and instead spend to improve the team around him.
"In a vacuum that makes a hell of a lot of sense. But in the Patriots' reality, they haven't done a good enough job creating contracts and people around him," Curran answered. "So, you want to have Mac on a rookie contract as long as you possibly can, in my estimation. You don't want to get up in the 20 millions with him until you're convinced. So you get the fourth year out of him at low budget, but you're not jumping into a new car that you're overpaying for.
"They're leasing him right now. They can walk away from this leased vehicle and then get a new one in 2025 if they so desire and start back with a $2 million option."
You can watch the full debate on YouTube.