Mac Jones was far from a perfect quarterback during his time with the New England Patriots, but he was also dealt a very bad hand.
He was in a brutal system following Josh McDaniels' departure in 2022 (how can anyone forget about the Matt Patricia-as-offensive-coordinator era in New England?), didn't have a great supporting cast of receivers around him, never had an actually good offensive line outside of his rookie year, and he had a head coach in Bill Belichick who was well past his prime.
Jones was likely never going to work out in New England anyway (largely because the talent and ability to elevate the players around him weren't there), but it's also safe to say he should have been way better than he was with the team.
The Patriots have clearly learned their lesson the hard way, and it seems like they are not going to make the same mistake twice with Drake Maye.
New England is doing a good job of supporting Drake Maye
At this point, it's clear that Maye is that guy for New England. The team drafted him third overall in 2024, and he has been incredible ever since. He is fresh off an MVP-runner-up season (he threw for 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions, 4,394 yards, and had a league-leading 72% completion) and his first (and hopefully not last) Super Bowl appearance.
The UNC product has the talent, and it's all about putting as much help around him to capitalize on that. And so far, that's exactly what the team has done.
After the Jerod Mayo debacle during his rookie campaign, the Patriots organization has made it a point to do right by Maye. They hired Mike Vrabel as head coach, brought McDaniels back as their offensive coordinator, and built a solid squad with a good balance of vets and young stars (namely, they signed Stefon Diggs to be Maye's security blanket and drafted Will Campbell and Jared Wilson to protect his blind side last year).
And this year, they are doing more of the same. They signed wide receiver Romeo Doubs away from the Green Bay Packers, drafted offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round, and are unofficially-but almost-inevitably about to trade for A.J. Brown from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Maye is about to enter his third season in the NFL, and he already has a better supporting cast than Jones ever did during his time with the Patriots.
New England made a massive mistake with one first-round quarterback, but it sure seems like it's not going to make that same mistake twice.
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