When Mac Jones' QB coach knew Patriots tenure was in trouble

Quarterbacks coach Joe Dickinson has known signal-caller Mac Jones for 14 years and recently told Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston he first believed Jones should explore a trade from the New England Patriots following the 2021 NFL season. 

Jones earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie before then-offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels became head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the 2022 campaign. 

"After the first season, I saw that it was really good for Mac and I saw that his coach was leaving, and I advised Mac and his agent to go and ask for a trade," Dickinson explained during his conversation with Curran. "I just said, 'Hey, I just think it would be better for you and the Patriots if they trade you.'" 

Dickinson added that Jones did not pursue a trade at that time largely because the 2021 first-round draft pick "grew up watching Tom Brady" and wanted to follow in Brady's footsteps after the legendary QB earned six Super Bowl rings featuring for the Patriots from 2000 through the 2019 season. 

Dickinson is not the first person to suggest that Jones' regression since his rookie year is linked with McDaniels' departure combined with former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick having the 25-year-old play under assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge during the 2022 season. 

More recently, Belichick pulled Jones from games on four occasions this past fall, and Jones then sat across New England's final six contests of the campaign. 

It was reported Monday that Jones "has a clean slate with" new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo even though the team likely won't pick up the fifth-year option for 2025 attached to Jones' rookie contract.

"Maybe sometimes the best thing is to cut bait and go somewhere else where you might be a better fit," Dickinson added about Jones. "But I will tell you this: His thoughts are that he's under contract. So he's in the building. He'll be in that building working out tomorrow, I bet you. Because if he's not going to be at the New England Patriots being a successful quarterback, it'll be somewhere else, because Mac Jones is a quality quarterback." 

Logic suggests Jones and the Patriots will both agree a fresh start is what's best for all involved, but he'll likely have to accept spending at least the bulk of the 2024 season as a backup to find a home on an active roster.