Patriots Daily: Mac Jones Enjoying Jacksonville

Former New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is now a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. New England traded Jones to Jacksonville for a sixth-round draft pick (used to select Joe Milton III) earlier this offseason. At Jaguars OTAs, Jones certainly appears to be happy in his new home Jones has been doing something nobody saw much of the past two seasons: Smiling and having fun.

Jones enjoyed a strong rookie season for the Patriots in 2021. He led them to a playoff appearance and set franchise rookie quarterback records for wins (10), completion percentage (67.6%), passing yards (3,801), and passing touchdowns (22).

The last two seasons in Foxboro did not go nearly as smoothly for the former first-round pick. Mac Jones dealt with injuries, new offensive coordinators every year, poor protection, fans wanting him benched, Zappe-Mania, media scrutiny, and reportedly a silent treatment from his head coach after being benched down the homestretch of the 2023 season.

Home Sweet Home

Mac Jones was born and raised in Jacksonville. So when the Jaguars traded for Jones, it was a true homecoming. In addition to the comforts of home, Jones enjoys far less pressure on him with the Jaguars. Instead of being a first-round pick following in the footsteps of Tom Brady in an unforgiving media market, Jones’ situation in Jacksonville is far different.

Trevor Lawrence is the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback. Mac Jones and C.J. Beathard will battle it out to be Lawrence’s top backup. The pressure isn’t the same. The environment is different. But Jones understands he is part of the change as well.

“I’m looking at it as just go out there and have fun, enjoy the game. And be the best player I can be and the best teammate I can be,” said Jones. “Take all my experiences, good and bad. The best people learn from that. I thought, and I feel like there were some experiences I could’ve done better learning from, and maybe wouldn’t happen again. So definitely realize that, definitely want to focus on moving forward.”

Mac Jones needed a fresh start to revive his NFL career. The New England Patriots needed a fresh start to give new hope to their fans and try to get the franchise back on track. Early returns indicate the separation worked out well for both parties.

#Jaguars QB Mac Jones having a little fun with the ball protection drill. 🕺🕺 pic.twitter.com/mgqWneXMyn

— Demetrius Harvey (@Demetrius82) June 3, 2024

Also in today’s Patriots Daily:

Football Fun Fact of the Day

There have been 45 players to appear in a game for both the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars. If Mac Jones appears in a game for the Jaguars, he will become the first quarterback to join the list.

The only player to play at least 40 games with each franchise is punter Chris Hanson.

Post of the Day

A post from Henry McKenna featuring the player New England selected with the draft pick obtained for trading Mac Jones: Joe Milton III:

Ok, Joe Milton’s throws make it look like he hires a CGI team. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/MPPYiZKHkn

— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) May 20, 2024

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