“Toxic!”: The Patriots’ dysfunctional and unfriendly quarterbacks
The quarterbacks for the New England Patriots, Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, had a strained relationship off the field despite their numerous on-field conflicts.
The 2023 season was difficult for New England Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe on the field, but their relationship off the field could have been much worse.
Jones, who was a Pro Bowler in 2021 as a rookie, had a disappointing season for the second time in a row and was eventually replaced by Zappe for the remaining six games.
The two’s relationships behind the scenes weren’t always easy, as Zappe’s move to watch movies in 2022 may be the clearest indication of.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted, “The quarterback room (Jones) was in the last two years got toxic, to the point where Bailey Zappe, as a rookie, sometimes watched tape in the receiver room.”
Jones completed 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions on 64.9 percent of his throws. Under Jones’ leadership, New England had a 2-9 record.
Under Zappe, who completed 59.9% of his passes for 1,272 yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions, the Patriots finished a meek 2-4.
Although neither quarterback gave off the impression that they’re worth sticking with for the upcoming campaign, concerns regarding Jones and Zappe’s future remain given the addition of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and the departure of head coach Bill Belichick in favor of Jerod Mayo.
However, Mayo, the former linebackers coach for the Patriots, was there in the building to observe the disintegrating relationship, thus Jones’ chances of being a starter again seem remote at best.
“It’s really hard to live down your history with an NFL team, and Jones’s with the New England Patriots is not good,” Breer stated. “He wasn’t even close to live up to his selection position, coming in 15th overall. He performed well as a rookie and has subsequently severely declined.
“He was well-liked early on, but, over time, lost support in the building.”
This history won’t just disappear with a new staff – and if Jones returns but experiences early struggles, the situation could tarnish Mayo’s first season at the helm.
Consider further New England’s rights to the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft – which could net a quarterback in North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels – and Jones’ hopes are only further worsened.
What will happen to the 25-year-old who is still under contract as a rookie?
“I think the ideal for Jones is he lands somewhere like San Francisco as a backup, gets a year to learn, play if there’s an injury, and rebuild his name and reputation in the league,” says Breer. “I believe that somewhere there is a good quarterback, a la Chad Pennington.
It’s likely that someone can extract that from him. It can’t be the Patriots, in my opinion.”
Jones and Zappe professionally handled the quarterback carousel this past year – but at least in 2022, when Zappe made two starts and garnered some fan support after Jones suffered an injury, tensions between the two arose.
Now, Jones’ exclusion from the Patriots’ long-term strategy might be largely attributed to those conflicts.
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