Patriots news & rumors: Brees hypes Mac Jones; calling John Brown

The New England Patriots are now a week away from the 2021 NFL season opener against the Miami Dolphins and from the debut of rookie quarterback Mac Jones.

As a new era begins in Foxboro, Jones has drawn comparisons to the guy who previously held down the offense in New England and no we are now talking about Cam Newton.  With all those Tom Brady comparisons out there, Jones will have some legendary shoes to feel and one former NFL quarterback and legend in his own right really believes in the kid.

During an NBC Sports conference call, recently retired quarterback Drew Brees was not only onboard the Mac Jones hype train, he inserted himself as the conductor calling Jones the “steal” of the draft and boldly predicting he will be the rookie quarterback of the draft class with the most success not only this season, but the next few seasons.

Here is what Brees said, via WEEI:

"“This guy’s level of execution, his understanding of offensive football, his timing, his rhythm, his ability not only to make the routine throws, but to make throws that you’re going to need to make at the next level in order to win games and take care of the football the way he did, I felt like he was the most NFL ready.  For those reasons, I think Mac Jones is going to have the most success of any rookie quarterback, not just this year but probably for the next few years.”"

Jones obviously showed some of that during the preseason and in practice.  The only question was his readiness and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick must believe in that readiness, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone with the rookie over Cam Newton, who wasn’t playing all that bad.

Although the Alabama product will go through some rookie pains, the team is really set up for him to succeed.

NFL rumors: Patriots a realistic landing spot for John Brown

The New England Patriots roster may not be set just yet.  With one week remaining up until the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, some moves can still be made, particularly at the wide receiver position.

One name to watch on the free agent market is veteran wide receiver John Brown, who is now a free agent after he asked to be released by the Las Vegas Raiders.

After spending the last two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, the 31-year-old wide receiver is looking to re-establish himself as a receiver who can stretch the field.  With a 1,000-yard season in 2019 with the Bills, the Patriots certainly got a good glimpse of the player and could be a spot for him to re-energize his career.

The Patriots did sign Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, but the receiving group is still one of the team’s weaknesses.  Along with Agholor and Bourne, the Patriots have Jakobi Meyers as their top receiver and perhaps N’Keal Harry is still a piece of the puzzle, but until he returns off injured reserve, the team will be relying on players like Malcolm Perry and Gunner Olszewski.

So, it really makes since that the Patriots will be looking to add another veteran to the mix and John Brown would be a good addition given his ability as a deep threat.  Along with the two tight ends in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, an additional receiver on the outside like Brown would give rookie quarterback Mac Jones some good options all over the field.

The Patriots could also stick it to the Bills if they were to sign Brown and he makes the kind of impact he had during his days with the Arizona Cardinals and that first season up in Buffalo.