The New England Patriots were one of the biggest winners of the first day of NFL free agency on Monday, pulling off a flurry of moves designed to improve the defense under new head coach Mike Vrabel.
Other teams around the league have been hard at work, as the quarterback market is heating up. It's not a strong class of free agents at the position, though there are still intriguing options as players are changing teams and looking for new opportunities.
Unfortunately for failed former Patriots QB Mac Jones, he was just shown the door by his new team and will now be forced to find a new organization once again.
Former Patriots QB Mac Jones Loses Job to Underwhelming Backup
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to a contract with former San Francisco 49ers signal caller Nick Mullens on a two-year deal. He'll be the new backup to Trevor Lawrence, effectively ending Jones' time with the organization.
It's been a stark fall from grace for the former Pro Bowler, who started seven games for Jacksonville in 2024. He managed a paltry 2-5 record, completing 65.3% of his passes for 1,672 yards, eight TDs, and eight interceptions with a putrid 39.8 quarterback rating.
Jones entered the NFL with significant promise as a highly-coveted prospect out of Alabama, though he's failed to deliver on those expectations. He's just 4-14 in the last two years as a starter with clear accuracy limitations and reported attitude problems in the locker room, so any franchise bringing him in would do so with understandable reservations. Still only 26 years old, Jones will likely wind up landing a backup job somewhere, yet his dream of being a starter is on life support.
Drafting Jones in the first round was always a mistake. Thankfully, the Patriots have a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye to build around, but it's clear that entertaining Jones as a starter set the organization back multiple years.
Here's hoping he can turn things around but at this point, Jones' status in the league is in a precarious position.