New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has had several nicknames assigned to him throughout his football career.
Jones was often referred to as “Joker” and “McEnroe” during his college days with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The “McEnroe” is a reference to tennis great John McEnroe, who was known for often losing his temper on the court.
According to Nick Saban, Jones got the “McEnroe” nickname because of the latter often lost his temper when he’d make a mistake. As it turns out, Jones had a more complimentary-sounding nickname long before “Joker” and “McEnroe” were assigned to him.
Jones spoke to reporters on Wednesday as the team prepares for a Week 9 home meeting with the Indianapolis Colts. During the presser, Jones revealed that his high school nickname was “Sunshine”, based off of Ronnie “Sunshine” Bass (played by Kip Pardue) from the 2000 film, Remember the Titans.
Several nicknames have been given to Jones since he joined the Patriots in 2010. This includes “Mac and Cheese”, “MJ10” and “Mac10”. His teammate, tight end Jonnu Smith, calls Jones “Macksonville.”
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Jones was drafted 15th overall by the Patriots in 2021, becoming the franchise’s long-term succession plan a year after Tom Brady left. Jones had a superb rookie year and led New England to a 10-7 record and wild card berth, but they were crushed by the Buffalo Bills 47-17.
The 24-year-old Jones missed three games after suffering a high ankle sprain against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. The Patriots went 2-1 without Jones, thanks to the incredible play of backup Bailey Zappe.
Jones was pulled early in the team’s Week 7 home game against the Chicago Bears in favor of Zappe. However, Bill Belichick started Jones for the team’s Week 8 road game against the New York Jets, a 22-17 New England victory.
