NFL Rumors: New England Patriots "Agitated" With Mac Jones

After nearly twenty years of dominance to open the millennium, the New England Patriots are quickly becoming one of the NFL's most unstable offenses. While appearing on WEEI's Jones and Mego with Arcand, Pats insider Tom Curran shared that head coach Bill Belichick grew "agitated" and "pissed off" with quarterback Mac Jones during the 2022 season.

Tom E. Curran reveals that Coach Belichick was really pissed off at Mac Jones for going outside the building for advice on how to run the offense.

Curran also believes Brian Hoyer was released because he was against the system like Mac. pic.twitter.com/ZC3URuwdQw
— Jones & Mego with Arcand (@JonesandMego) March 31, 2023

Jones allegedly annoyed Patriots brass by going outside the building to seek advice and a means of navigating the Patriots' system. The team controversially declined to name an offensive coordinator last season, instead electing to trust the offense to defensive coach Matt Patricia and special teams coach Joe Judge. To the surprise of no one, the Patriots offense struggled, finishing 26th in yards gained and 17th in points scored.

After delivering a promising rookie season that earned him a Pro Bowl in 2021, Jones may already be on the outs in New England. He has been the subject of trade rumors recently, and various voices within the organization have expressed a preference for second-year fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe. If Jones is sent packing, the Patriots will have a new starting quarterback to open the season for the third time in four years.

It hasn't all been bad for Jones this offseason. The Patriots hired Bill O'Brien as their offensive coordinator; O'Brien and Jones worked together briefly at Alabama. Jones could benefit from more experienced tutelage, especially from a coach with which he has an existing rapport.

The Patriots were arguably the most consistently dominant offense in NFL history from 2001 to 2019. With Tom Brady as their leading passer, they finished as a top-five scoring offense an amazing 11 times and never had a year in which they ranked worse than 12th. Those days are long gone. If Belichick wants to rebuild the Patriots into a contender, he'll have to understand that he has to change his approach on offense, from personnel to coaches to playcalling. He no longer has the margin of error Brady afforded him.