NFL insider maps out percentage chance of Mac Jones sticking with Patriots

Patriots

“Perhaps the team keeps him on as a backup or bridge starter.”

Mac Jones was on the outside looking in at regular reps during Wednesday’s practice in Foxborough. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The writing seems to be on the wall that Mac Jones’s time in Foxborough is coming to an end.

After getting benched for the fourth time in 11 games on Sunday against the Giants, Jones was on the outside looking in at regular practice reps on Wednesday — with Bailey Zappe reportedly taking the majority of snaps in his place. 

Given Jones’s continued struggles and the potential for New England to secure a blue-chip QB prospect in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, the case can be made that Jones has already played his final snap as a Patriot.

ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler seems to concur, with the longtime NFL scribe writing in his latest piece that Jones has just a 20 percent chance of sticking around in New England moving forward. 

“Jones could be hard to move via trade, and his $2.8 million guaranteed salary for 2024 would be an empty cost should the Patriots release him,” Fowler wrote. “Perhaps the team keeps him on as a backup or bridge starter. But my sense is the Patriots want to totally reconstruct the position by adding a veteran free agent and a draft pick. That leaves little room for Jones.”

Speaking on WEEI Monday evening, Jones was asked about whether or not he might opt for a fresh start elsewhere amid this year’s turmoil.

“I mean, I’m good right now,” Jones said. “I really want to be the quarterback here. I’ve always wanted to be a quarterback in the NFL, and specifically for the Patriots. Like I said, I’ve got a lot of room to grow and everything, and I’m going to just continue to work hard and do all the things I can to put myself in a position to have success.”

Based on Wednesday’s practice, it doesn’t seem like New England stands a viable spot for Jones to achieve success — not after this 11-game stretch.