Analyst shares scenario where Patriots should trade Mac Jones

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is trying to ignore outside chatter hovering over his status ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, but one noteworthy individual believes there's a scenario in which Jones could land elsewhere before the end of the month. 

According to Sean T. McGuire of NESN, former NFL quarterback and current ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky said during a Wednesday appearance on Boston sports radio station WEEI that the Patriots "should" consider trading Jones if team owner Robert Kraft and head coach Bill Belichick have already "made the determination they are done with Mac" this fall. 

"Now, both of those guys need to be in conjunction thinking that they’re going to be together next year," Orlovsky continued. "And I know that’s become a topic of conversation – is coach Belichick going to be there? Is Mr. Kraft going to do something?" 

Jones struggled last season playing under assistants Matt Patricia and Joe Judge and was then the subject of numerous offseason trade rumors before he received a "fresh start" with the hiring of Bill O'Brien as New England's offensive coordinator. It was reported this past summer that Kraft and Jones were "pretty tight," but that was before the 25-year-old flopped across the majority of the team's's first six games of the ongoing campaign. 

Per ESPN stats, Jones ended Week 6 ranked 30th in the league among qualified players with a 36.8 adjusted QBR and a 74.4 passer rating for the season. He's tied for 29th with 6.0 yards per pass attempt and is a significant reason the Patriots are ranked 31st in scoring with 12.0 points per game. 

New England reportedly is in no hurry to start backups Bailey Zappe and Will Grier, but could turn to undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham as a "nothing-to-lose" option. Meanwhile, the Patriots (or a team trading for him) must either exercise or decline the fifth-year option attached to Jones' rookie contract by next spring. 

Orlovsky added that the Patriots "unquestionably" should shop Jones ahead of the trade deadline if Kraft and Belichick decide they are "definitely doing something else" regarding the position. While New England spent a first-round pick to acquire Jones during the 2021 draft, Orlovsky speculated the club would now only get a fourth-round choice in return for the signal-caller.

Jones is expected to start when the 1-5 Patriots host the 4-2 Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday afternoon. Depending on how he performs, that could be his final home game played at Gillette Stadium before he and New England part ways.