With Mac Jones regressing in his third NFL season, many are wondering if he has lost the New England locker room.
With the unsurprising recent word that the Patriots are likely looking to move on from former 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones this offseason, more information is now coming out that shows his bad play on the field wasn’t the worst part of having him on the team.
A new report painted how toxic the former Alabama Crimson Tide QB had become.
Albert Brer of Sports Illustrated reported that the Patriots quarterback room had been so “toxic” that Bailey Zappe would be forced to watch game tape in the wide receiver room instead of the quarterback room.
“[Mac Jones] was well-liked early on, but, over time, lost support in the building. And the quarterback room he was in the last two years got toxic, to the point where Bailey Zappe, as a rookie, sometimes watched tape in the receiver room.”
Jones is only a couple of years removed from his promising rookie season in which he led the Patriots to the playoffs and earned a spot in the Pro Bowl. He threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, and earned the aforementioned Pro Bowl nod.
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Jones was looking to improve in all areas across the board following a disappointing sophomore season in 2022, where he tossed for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions over 14 games in 2022.
The 15th overall pick out of Alabama in the 2021 NFL Draft had an even worse year all while being benched. Last year, he started 11 games, passing for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.
In 2023 alone, Jones was benched four times for backup Bailey Zappe.
Since being drafted, Jones has played in 42 games for New England. In those games, he passed for 8,912 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions. With Jones as the starter, the Patriots are 18-24.
