Patriots safety gets cagey when asked if QB Mac Jones would start

Mac Jones has started in all 31 games he’s played for the New England Patriots. Will that streak continue to next season? That’s the million-dollar question heading into training camp.

While Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has stayed mostly noncommittal on Jones’ status this offseason, the latest comments from Patriots veteran Adrian Phillips will do little to quell the rumors that the QB1 job isn’t a 100 percent lock for Jones like it was last summer.

The former All-Pro safety was recently interviewed on “NFL Total Access” with Mike Yam and Maurice Jones-Drew. Phillips kept it vague when asked how firm of a grip Jones has on the starting quarterback job.

“Look man, you’re trying to get me in trouble,” Phillips said. “One thing I’ll say, and pretty much the only thing I’ll say about that is that I’m not in the meetings with them, so I don’t know what’s going on over there. But I will say that Mac is competing. All those guys are competing, and we’re going to ride with whoever’s out there.”

Phillips added that the rest of the team is “rocking” with whoever Belichick ultimately names the starter. Bailey Zappe, who started two games for the Patriots last season, is also in play for the spot, along with former Cardinals backup Trace McSorley.

Belichick was much more forthcoming about Jones’ place in the pecking order prior to the start of last season. Not only did the veteran coach heap praise on his young QB, he also confirmed Jones’ starter status last offseason with three definitive words: “He’s our quarterback.”

Jones hasn’t gotten that same endorsement from Belichick this time around. In fact, there were rumors about Jones being shopped in trade talks in the spring. The 24-year-old will likely keep his starting job once the season begins, but it’s clear that he still needs to prove he deserves it.