If you ask Bill Belichick, there was no quarterback controversy in New England last season. If you ask the fan base or the locker room, then there was definitely controversy.
Devin McCourty revealed last month the players in the locker room were actually split last year on whether Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe should be the starting quarterback.
Veteran sportscaster Dan Patrick is singing the same tune this week when he asked a former Patriots player source to check whether there was a split between the two quarterbacks in the locker room. Days would pass before the player said, “There is a lot of support for Bailey Zappe.”
This would be quite the indictment on Mac Jones. He was a legitimate QB prospect and a true first-round QB. He was selected back in 2021 and enjoyed quite the rookie season, leading a top-10 scoring offense and a 10-win team. However, he regressed during the 2022 season. On the other hand, Bailey Zappe did look quite solid in his rookie season this past season. In fact, I think it was pretty obvious that Zappe looked much more comfortable than Jones in the offense.
The fan base booed Mac and cheered for Zappe.
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The Patriots’ offensive downfall started in the preseason when Belichick decided to put Matt Patricia in charge of the offense. Patricia and Jones didn’t seem to get along too well, which caused some offensive dysfunction in New England.
Jones reportedly upset Bill Belichick when he reached out to outside sources about the offense. In response, the Patriots signed Bill O’Brien to be the offensive coordinator, the same position he held before he left years ago to be the head coach of the Houston Texans.
Going into year two with Jones and Zappe on the roster, my thinking is that Jones may actually have a shorter leash than we think. If Jones struggles in 2023, that could create a small rift in the Patriots’ locker room since we now know that some of the players wanted to see Zappe under center.
Just because he’s a first-round pick does not make him immune to being benched for poor play.
