The future isn’t looking too bright for Mac Jones with the New England Patriots, but edge rusher Matthew Judon is still confident than Jones can be a good NFL quarterback.
“When Mac was comfortable, and he had a good system, he produced and he put up numbers,” Judon said during an appearance on NFL Network, via Andrew Callahan of The Boston Herald. “And when you said we scored 45-7 [against Cleveland in 2021], Mac Jones led that team. We know he can do it. He has to find his confidence, his stride, and get a rhythm under him. And it’s going to be difficult. It’s his fourth [offensive coordinator] in four years.”
Jones is coming off of a miserable 2023 campaign in which he threw for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 64.9 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 77. He made 11 starts before being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe.
So, is Jones too far gone at this point? Judon doesn’t think so.
“Nah, I think once you catch a stride, catch a rhythm—that’s what they were talking about with Baker [Mayfield],” Judon said. “Now we’re talking about [Mayfield] being one of the first people off the board in free agency.”
Jones, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by the Patriots with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He had a solid rookie season, totaling 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 picks while completing 67.6 percent of his throws and registering a passer rating of 92.5 en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
The following year, Jones regressed, throwing for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games. He then fell flat in 2023.
New England owns the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft this spring and will probably take a quarterback, meaning that Mac Jones’ tenure in Foxborough could be coming to an end.
But apparently, Matthew Judon still has faith in him.
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