The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a trade Sunday to acquire quarterback Mac Jones from the New England Patriots for a sixth-round draft pick.
Why they made the trade
The Patriots had to move on from Jones this offseason. The 2021 first-round pick delivered a solid rookie season before coach Bill Belichick turned on him and stalled his development, leading to Jones’ freefall over the past two seasons.
Jones had almost no chance to revive his career in New England, and there was no sense in inviting any type of distraction into the locker room with a first-time head coach in Jerod Mayo who already has enough on his plate in replacing a legend. A split with Jones was inevitable.
Mac Jones gets a restart in his hometown, and he’ll work with a QB in Trevor Lawrence who he’s known for a long time. Jones used to compete against Lawrence in all-star recruiting camps in high school. Good opportunity for a refresh. https://t.co/fXhKv3ClcP
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) March 10, 2024
The Jaguars improved their backup situation behind Trevor Lawrence, who is now eligible for a massive contract extension and will remain the unquestioned face of the franchise. Lawrence dealt with a handful of injuries last season, and like many teams that lost starters for a point in time, the Jaguars recognized the value in a quality backup quarterback.
Jones will have a cap hit of roughly $2.8 million, so he’s a bargain as a backup with extensive starting experience. That factor can’t be discounted as the Jaguars have worked to reset their salary cap over the past week while trying to figure out how to extend wide receiver Calvin Ridley and linebacker Josh Allen.
Trade grade (Jaguars): B-minus
This is an ultimate buy-low move, but it makes sense for plenty of reasons.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson took over in 2022 and resurrected Lawrence’s trajectory after a brutal first season under Urban Meyer. Now, Pederson has a chance to do it on a different scale with Jones, who fell out of favor with Belichick and was set up to fail for much of the past two seasons. Pederson runs a quarterback-friendly system, and he’s skilled in the art of building up a player’s confidence, which won’t be lost on Jones.
Maybe Jones won’t pan out to be anything more than a backup for the rest of his career. Maybe that rookie season was a ruse, and the past two seasons were as much of an indictment on the quarterback as the team. But now he’s got a chance to restart in a low-pressure situation as the clear backup, and he gets to do it in his hometown. Whether this becomes the best thing to happen for his career or it’s just another step along the way, he’ll at least get a welcomed reset.
Of course, the Jaguars won’t want Jones to ever see the field. That, of course, would mean something went awry with Lawrence. But if Jones does get an opportunity and takes advantage of it — or he simply has a strong preseason — it’s conceivable he factors into the compensatory pick formula next offseason.
GO DEEPER
2024 NFL free agency rankings: Danielle Hunter, Saquon Barkley lead updated top 150
Trade grade (Patriots): C
It’s actually a win that the Patriots got anything more than a pick swap for Jones because teams knew he was on the way out.
But it’s hard to separate the transaction from the failure to develop a quarterback who once represented the future of the franchise. Jones beat out Cam Newton in a legitimate quarterback competition during the Patriots’ 2021 training camp, and the Alabama product seemed to be on his way to a long career in Foxboro before the failed Matt Patricia experiment in 2022 and the subsequent falling out with Belichick.
There’s a reason why the phrase is “draft and develop,” and not “draft and see what happens.” Again, maybe Jones wasn’t the guy all along and the Patriots simply whiffed on the pick. But it’s inarguable that they didn’t set him up to succeed over the past two years, and they’re starting over again as a result — after a season in which the Patriots hit their lowest point of Robert Kraft’s three-decade ownership.
If the Patriots turn the pick into a long-term contributor, the trade will look much different. But for now, it was a necessary step in freeing themselves from Jones and starting anew.
(Photo of Mac Jones: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
"low" - Google News
March 11, 2024 at 02:01AM
https://ift.tt/GfHznR6
Mac Jones trade grades: Jaguars buy low while Patriots recoup late draft pick - The Athletic
"low" - Google News
https://ift.tt/9k7ASbZ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Mac Jones trade grades: Jaguars buy low while Patriots recoup late draft pick - The Athletic"
Post a Comment