The inevitable has finally happened, as the New England Patriots have orchestrated a trade to send quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jones, a former first-round pick and one-time Pro Bowl selection, had spent the entirety of his professional career with the New England Patriots.
Trade: Patriots are finalizing a deal to send QB Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, sources tell ESPN. The trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins Wednesday and he passes a physical. The two sides were discussing a 6th-round pick, per sources.
Jones was… pic.twitter.com/dOceAGDDTm
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 10, 2024
Jones ended his Patriots career on the lowest of notes. After a disappointing 2022 season with Matt Patricia running the offense, New England hoped that Bill O’Brien could help resurrect the quarterback’s career. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, as Jones had his worst professional season to date during the past campaign. Starting in 11 games, the quarterback completed 64.9% of his passes for 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions before getting benched for the remainder of the season. While the subpar Patriots offensive line and receivers certainly didn’t help matters, it’s clear that Jones wore out his welcome with his former team.
Jones originally entered the league as a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Selected by the New England Patriots, the Alabama product was supposed to begin his career on the bench learning behind Cam Newton. After an impressive preseason, though, the rookie won the Week 1 starting job. Starting in all 17 games that season, Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record while completing 67.6% of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. While New England’s season ended with a blowout playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, the future appeared bright for the rookie Pro Bowler.
However, the wheels quickly fell off the wagon. With Josh McDaniels becoming the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, the Patriots hired Matt Patricia to be the de facto offensive coordinator. This didn’t go well, as Jones regressed horribly. Starting in 14 games, the quarterback completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
In his three seasons before the trade, Jones completed 66.1% of his passes for 8,918 yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
More must-reads:
The Cleveland Browns are giving Shedeur Sanders special treatment in training camp, but it's not the type of favoritism the fifth-round pick would necessarily want. Per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN, Sanders is the only Browns quarterback who has not been taking reps with the first-team offense during OTAs or the first two practices of training camp. Former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Kenny Pickett, veteran Joe Flacco and rookie Dillon Gabriel have all split reps with the first team. Despite being asked to throw passes to members of the equipment staff amid a shortage of professional pass-catchers for a four-quarterback roster, Sanders said he's thankful for the opportunity to show the Browns coaching staff his talents. "I feel like that it's not in my control, so I'm not going to think about that or even have that in my thought process of why it is," Sanders said to a question as to why he's not getting first-team reps. "There's a lot of people who want to have the opportunity to be at this level, and I'm here and I'm thankful to have the opportunity. So, whenever that is, that is." Sanders, 23, believes that he can contribute more to the Browns than what the coaching staff is asking of him. "It doesn't make me feel down or left out because I know who I am as a person," Sanders said. "I know who I am as an individual and I know what I could bring to this team. So, I can never feel less than any circumstance." The Browns selected Sanders with the No. 144 pick in April's draft. As a player whom many draft analysts thought was a first-round talent, Cleveland took what could be the steal of the draft in the fifth round. It's curious why the Browns aren't giving Sanders a shot with the first team early in training camp before the quarterback race becomes more serious. Cleveland should see what Sanders has to offer this summer. Flacco, 40, isn't a long-term solution at the position. Pickett failed in Pittsburgh. The Browns need to gauge what rookies Gabriel and Sanders can do with the first team. Having Sanders throw balls to the equipment staff is a waste of everyone's time. But then again, Cleveland has wasted plenty of quarterbacks.
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge missed Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies with an elbow injury, and the slugger is now headed to the injured list. The Yankees fell 9-4 to the Phillies on Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., which marked their third consecutive loss. Judge played in Friday night's 12-5 loss to Philadelphia, but Aaron Boone announced before Saturday's game that Judge was dealing with an "elbow issue" and would sit out. Following his team's latest loss, Boone shared some new information about Judge's injury. Judge has been diagnosed with a flexor strain, but the Yankees believe he can return in less than two weeks. When Judge returns to the lineup, Boone said it will initially be as a designated hitter. Judge is having an outstanding season. He entered Saturday batting .342, which is the best mark in baseball. The reigning American League MVP has 37 home runs, 85 RBI and a 1.160 OPS. The Yankees are now six games behind the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays and fighting to remain atop the wild-card race. It goes without saying that they are hopeful Judge will be able to return as soon as possible.
Oilers insider Bob Stauffer revealed that a great fit on the blue line for Edmonton lies with the division rival Anaheim Ducks, and Olen Zellweger could be a target. The Edmonton Oilers' second defensive pairing will significantly vary from one offseason to the next, with four of their seven best defencemen, Mattias Ekholm, Jake Walman, Brett Kulak, and Troy Stecher, in the free agency equation as unrestricted ones next summer. It will seem as though two of them will commit to extensions before the offseason starts, but one or two are likely gone. If any of Jake Walman, Mattias Ekholm, or Brett Kulak exit, the Oilers will need veteran NHL depth. With the club possibly slimmer on the back end, GM Stan Bowman will want to prepare for the future. Though the Atro Leppanen signing is promising, there is one intriguing candidate skating around with a division rival: Olen Zellweger of the Anaheim Ducks, per Oilers insider Bob Stauffer. Bob Stauffer linked to the Oilers...This player is Olen Zellweger from the Anaheim Ducks. Olen Zellweger is the best candidate for the job, and he showed it last season with seven goals and 20 points in 62 contests. In spite of production, he sat as a healthy scratch for about one-fourth of the season and played below 19 minutes per contest. Repors reveal that Zellweger is not happy with the current situation in Anaheim He and Pavel Mintyukov were not pleased with the situation, reports say. The Zellweger contract with Anaheim might present a mid-season trade possibility. Zellweger's abilities and age fit in well with the future for the Oilers. If the Oilers are looking to create cap space and clear room for him, it could be a bold but savvy idea to trade someone like Kulak to Anaheim in return, or elsewhere. It wouldn't be easy given Kulak's role to date, but they have already made tough choices to get younger, and this one could pay off well in the long run.
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has been seeking a contract extension this offseason, but he is no longer holding out for a new deal. McLaurin began training camp as a holdout earlier this week, as he did not show up to the team facility on the first day of mandatory practice. The veteran is now officially in the building, although he is still not practicing. McLaurin reported to training camp on Sunday morning. The Commanders announced that they have moved him from the reserve/did not report list to the active/physically unable to perform list. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that McLaurin has "some sort of ankle injury." Schefter also said that McLaurin's decision to show up to work is not an indication that the Commanders have made progress in extension talks with their star receiver. By showing up for training camp, McLaurin will no longer be subject to fines of $50,000 per day. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters he is "really pumped" to have McLaurin back with the team. McLaurin is in the final year of a three-year, $68M extension he signed in 2022. He is reportedly seeking to become one of the five highest-paid receivers in the NFL, which would mean an average annual salary of around $32M or more. McLaurin led Washington last season with 82 receptions, 117 targets and 1,096 receiving yards. He also had 13 touchdown catches, which was second in the NFL. Though the Commanders acquired Deebo Samuel in a trade this offseason, McLaurin has a close relationship with Jayden Daniels. The second-year quarterback made that clear recently when speaking about his teammate. McLaurin will turn 30 in September. He is trying to capitalize on signing an extension in the wake of his fifth consecutive season with 1,000 or more receiving yards.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!