Insider: Patriots QB Mac Jones 'came up a few times' in trade calls

This offseason's "did he or didn't he" saga involving New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones has taken another turn. 

Per Khari Thompson of Boston.com, NFL insider Albert Breer offered an update on the situation during an NBC Sports Boston segment shared on Thursday. 

"I think what happened was, and I’ve got this on good authority," Breer explained. "While those calls are being made during the combine, before free agency, when teams are talking about names back and forth, Mac Jones’ name came up a few times." 

Multiple Patriots reporters have poured cold water over a Tuesday story that said Belichick has outright "shopped" Jones to other teams, in part because their relationship was damaged after the signal-caller allegedly reached out to non-Patriots personnel about potential fixes for New England's offense this past season. Earlier in the week, Breer noted that Belichick "is going to make Jones earn his spot back" and that 2022 rookie Bailey Zappe should have an opportunity to compete for the starting job this summer. 

"I think part of the issue now is that they wouldn’t get great value for him," Breer said during his NBC Sports Boston appearance. He was elaborating on why he believes the Patriots likely won't trade Jones before 2024. Breer also echoed former Patriots assistant Eric Mangini by indicating that at least some individuals associated with the organization believe Jones handled things poorly throughout his second pro campaign. 

"He feels like Mac made the problem worse," Breer said about Belichick's feelings on the 2021 first-round draft pick. "I know there’s some other people in the building that feel the same way." 

Retired Patriots safety Devin McCourty and sports talk host Dan Patrick have both claimed the New England locker room is at least somewhat "split" between having Jones or Zappe atop the depth chart. While Jones' status with the Patriots may be up in the air, logic suggests that there are parties within the organization who want these supposed leaks to go public — seemingly on a daily basis — ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft.