21 February 2023 , 23:13
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Mac Jones reportedly unnerved people across the NFL last season, as he clashed with coaches on the sidelines.
According to ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington, Jones "drew the ire" as he shouted at coaches during the regular season. The New England Patriots missed out on the postseason after an underwhelming campaign, and Jones will be hoping for a better 2023.
It's not uncommon to see quarterbacks at the Patriots speak out during games, as Tom Brady was prone to it during his time at the franchise. But Jones has received some unwanted criticism for his antics, as he is still awaiting his statement breakthrough season.
According to Darlington, Jones was "going after some coaches and it drew the ire... drew a lot of criticism around the league." Jones was only drafted back in 2021, but many felt he failed to progress last season after a decent rookie year.
Jones started all 17 games in the 2021 season, but lost his first and only postseason game by quite some margin. After finishing the season with a 10-7 record, they faced the Buffalo Bills in the first play-off round, but lost 47-17.
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The Patriots didn't make it at all this year, and due to a mixture of injury and then being benched by head coach Bill Belichick, Jones only started 14 games. Bailey Zappe filled in for Jones, and became a popular figure amongst the fans.
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Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones are both competing to startHe became that popular, that some are even predicting that the Patriots could trade for Jones as Zappe proved his worth during his small cameo last season. Journalist Albert Breer said: "I think they would," when asked about whether the Patriots would let Jones go.
"Internally, I don’t know if they see this massive gap between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. I’m not saying they think Bailey’s as good as Mac, but there was some element of Bailey doing what he was coached to do last year that I think gave Bailey the edge to some degree for a little while there.
"So I think it’ll be interesting to see what would happen if a real offer came along. I don’t think a real offer is going to come along, but it’d be interesting to see what would happen if a real offer did come along."
But Jones will be looking to really perform in his third season, putting some of the unwanted attention behind him. Belichick will be on his case though, and it may not be the last we see of the sideline clashes.