While it remains to be seen whether or not Mac Jones’ future in New England will continue past this offseason, news about the reason behind one of the most pivotal plays of Jones’ terrible 2023 season came to light on Monday.
According to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, the third-year quarterback suffered a ‘stinger’ late in the contest against the Colts, leaving his throwing arm and hand numb ahead of his interception to Mike Gesicki.
The play reportedly happened following a hit by Tyquan Lewis at the 7:56 mark in the fourth quarter, which came as Jones fired a strike to Demario Douglas over the middle for a 9-yard gain.
Looking back at the play on the All-22, Lewis beat Vederian Lowe, driving Lowe back as Lewis first drilled Jones and knocked him backwards, with Conor McDermott also getting driven back into him. McDermott’s left shoulder struck Jones around his neck area as the two got knocked to the ground, with Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo toss McDermott down on the play.
McDermott stayed down on the ground after the play, while Daniels reports that Jones lost feeling in his arm after the hit, and it affected him for the remainder of the game.
Later in that same drive, Jones threw off his back foot and lofted it up and didn’t get enough on it as he tried to hit a wide-open Gesicki in the right corner of the end zone, with the ball falling well short for the interception.
Jones was later spotted going to the X-Ray room following the contest. While he ended up being O.K. physically, he was clearly disappointed with his performance.
“It was a terrible throw,” said Jones when asked about the turnover after the game. “Practiced it, hit it in practice. Just not a good throw. I mean, I knew where to go, just didn’t do it, didn’t do it right.”
He was asked if it was due to mechanics, and Jones admitted there were some issues he was dealing with.
“There was some things I was working through but it doesn’t matter,” said Jones. “No excuses.”
Now we at least know what the issue he was referring to was.
At the same time, it didn’t change the fact that Jones put up a horrible performance coming off the bye week against the Giants, along with his performances against both Dallas and New Orleans. The coaching staff seemingly had their minds made up at that point ahead of that first half at MetLife in his final outing, and Jones didn’t exactly do anything that day to change it.
Jones was a paltry 12-of-21 (57.1%) in the first half of that game for 89-yards and two interceptions, which saw him give way to Bailey Zappe in the second half for the fourth time that season.
It would be the last time he’d see the field in 2023.
Jones Alienated By Belichick
According to Daniels, things were ugly down the stretch for Jones.
The now-former starter remained diligent in his work for the rest of the season after losing his starting role, showing up early and staying late, while also putting a lot of work in the weight room.
However, Bill Belichick reportedly had no communication with him after his benching against the Giants, with his final game of the 2023 season seeing Jones learn of his inactive status just 90-minutes ahead of kickoff.
Daniels reported that Jones lamented the fact to ‘locker room confidants’ that ‘no one talks to him,’ when it came to Belichick or the coaches.
That only further reveals the dysfunction for a player who clearly fell significantly from what had been a promising rookie season in 2021.
What happens now remains to be seen, but this news just reinforces the problems in what was a disastrous enough year where Belichick is gone, and the club is now starting over under Mayo.
What that means for Jones remains to be seen, as Daniels reports that had Belichick remained head coach, Jones’ future with the team likely would have come to an end.
As it currently stands, the former Alabama standout likely won’t see his 5th-year option picked up, but whether or not he’ll get any further shot at redemption certainly feels like a longshot at this point.
Either way, it’s unfortunate things played out the way they did, and a fresh start for Jones elsewhere may end up being the better move. The only question might be where he ends up.
Daniels reports that Jones apparently told a member of the Jets’ staff that he appreciated how their organization handled Zach Wilson’s situation prior to their final game, likely citing the transparency shown to their embattled QB, while clearly frustrated by his own situation ahead of that one.
Will that open the door to him continuing his career behind Aaron Rodgers in New York? That certainly feels less than ideal for a guy who has gotten banged up quite a bit already the last two seasons.
For now, the Patriots are in need of draft capital, so moving Jones would help there. Knowing how short Rodgers’ window might be, maybe the Jets would be open to bringing in a younger player who remains undefeated against them as a starter to give them some depth.
For now, Jones’ status is one of many issues facing the team this offseason as the Patriots continue building toward 2024.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
