Patriots OC Bill O’Brien preaches 'fresh start' amid Mac Jones rumors

New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien sounds ready to help quarterback Mac Jones move on from a rough 2022 campaign and tumultuous offseason. 

"Everybody is starting with a clean slate," O'Brien told reporters on Tuesday, as shared by Keith Farner of Saturday Down South. "Every year’s different. I think this year is no different than any other year relative to each year in the NFL is different. So what you did in the past, whether it’s a player or a coach or anybody in the organization really has no bearing on what happens moving forward." 

Jones reportedly angered head coach Bill Belichick by seeking coaching from outside the organization last season when the offense was struggling under assistants Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, and there have been conflicting reports about whether or not Belichick actively "shopped" the 2021 first-round draft pick this offseason. Jones spent time working with O'Brien at the University of Alabama ahead of the 2021 draft, and the signal-caller seems excited to again be coached by his new coordinator. 

"Fresh start," O'Brien added about Patriots offensive players such as Jones. "It’s really not anything about what’s gone on in the past. It’s more about moving forward. That’s one of our themes on offense — to move forward." 

Multiple people have insisted there's little chance that team owner Robert Kraft would sign off on giving up on Jones after one lackluster season that followed the 24-year-old earning a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. It's also widely believed the Patriots will not make a serious move for Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson due to the draft assets they'd have to send Baltimore and the money they'd allegedly have to give Jackson — believed to be over $230M in fully guaranteed cash. 

Ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft, O'Brien finds himself on track to coach through a quarterback competition involving Jones and 2022 rookie Bailey Zappe.