Patriots QB Mac Jones entering a make-or-break third season

The New England Patriots are at a crossroads in 2023 and it will be a make-or-break season for young quarterback Mac Jones, as well.

Third-year quarterback Jones is on the hot seat. How he performs will determine the team’s and his own future with New England Patriots.

Jones has had a proverbial up-and-down roller-coaster ride of a two-year tenure with the team. In 2021 he had a fine rookie season and even before that looked like a sure-fire top NFL QB.

He led his team to a playoff berth in 2021 while making a questionable yet factual Pro Bowl berth, for what they are worth. In 2022, his play fell way off leading to questions about whether he was the quarterback for the long term or not.

His 2022 performance was a letdown for the team, its fans, and certainly for the player. himself. There is lots of blame to go around including poor coaching staff decisions by Bill Belichick, poor drafting decisions, and little effort in free agency acquisition at all.

Time for New England Patriots QB Mac Jones to show his shine

Yet now, entering his third season, Jones is on the cusp of his Patriot tenure. He will either nail down the Patriots QB position long-term or fall aside and let someone else take the reigns.

The halcyon days of Tom Brady taking the title in the AFC East annually and the Super Bowl an average of almost every two years are long past now, as is Brady’s active career now. Those years are in the rearview mirror and won’t be back.

It’s time for someone else to step up. The question is, will it be Mac Jones, or will some other player swoop in to seize that role?

Let’s take a look at the challenges that Jones will have to face if he is to earn the former rather than the latter situation.