Griffin III: Raiders should call Patriots about Jones trade

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Robert Griffin III: Raiders should call Patriots about Mac Jones trade

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 2/22/23

After cutting former second-round pick Derek Carr, the Las Vegas Raiders are in the market for a new starting quarterback, and former Pro Bowler Robert Griffin III believes he has a reasonable solution for them.

On a recent appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live, Griffin III made the case for Vegas to call the New England Patriots and inquire about trading for embattled QB Mac Jones.

“If (Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels) picks up that telephone and calls Bill Belichick, will Mac Jones be available for him to trade and bring to Las Vegas with him?” Griffin III asked. “They both had a lot of success together, obviously, in Mac Jones’ rookie year. Josh McDaniels really likes his guys because it doesn’t make sense they got rid of Derek Carr without actually having a plan on someone to go get.”

#Patriots may not see a "massive gap" between Mac Jones and Zap Bailey, per @AlbertBreer

When asked if the Patriots will be willing to listen to trade offers for Mac Jones. Breer said he thinks they would

He adds that Belichick didn't appreciate how Mac handled things last year pic.twitter.com/Cj8MKx5ZCD
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 18, 2023

McDaniels was Jones’ offensive coordinator during his rookie year in 2021 when Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record while throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 92.5 passer rating.

In 2022, with Matt Patricia calling New England’s offensive plays, Jones seemingly regressed. He threw for fewer yards per game with eight fewer touchdowns, a worse completions percentage, and his passer rating dropped to an 84.8.

The Raiders were the reported frontrunner to land former Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady before he announced his retirement at the beginning of February. Vegas has also been linked to Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

“For the Raiders, look at Mac Jones, maybe Jimmy Garoppolo — those could be bridge guys for them for the next two or three years,” Griffin III added. “I think Davante Adams would be OK with that, even though I believe Adams wants to go back to Green Bay if Aaron Rodgers isn’t coming to Vegas.”

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