Patriots' Mac Jones shares surprising Tom Brady revelation

It seems New England Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones and retired club legend Tom Brady may be closer today than outsiders realized. 

"He’s definitely a legend," Jones said about Brady during an appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI, as shared by Karen Guregian of MassLive. "I have all the respect for him, he’s a great guy. He’s actually helped me a lot already, just talking to him or whatever. He’s been a great mentor and stuff. He’s a great player." 

Brady helped the Patriots win six Super Bowl titles from 2000 through the 2019 season before he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent in March 2020. New England later landed Jones via a 2021 first-round draft pick, and the two faced off at Gillette Stadium in October of Jones' rookie campaign. Brady and the Bucs won that matchup 19-17. 

Last month, Jones referred to Brady as "the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL" and noted he was "trying to chase the standard that (Brady) set every day." The Patriots will honor Brady before and during Sunday's regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

"Love watching his film," Jones added about Brady during the radio segment. "He pops up on game tape, obviously, from last year and everything, too. He’s always on the film doing the right thing so just trying to learn from him. He’s been awesome."

Brady will be attending his first Patriots game as a retired player and indicated earlier this week he won't make another dramatic return to an active roster as he did in 2022. Jones explained how former backup Brian Hoyer used to share stories about Brady's greatness when the 25-year-old and Hoyer were teammates. 

"He’s always on the film like I said, so just watching the football, the timing, his operation of everything," Jones continued while speaking about Brady. "So he’s definitely the greatest to do it, and that’s why you want to watch him and learn."

It remains to be seen if Jones will prove to be New England's long-term replacement for Brady, but it sounds as if the future Hall of Famer could offer the third-year pro a tip or two before the club's QB1 starts the season against the reigning NFC champions.