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4 Patriots Who Must Be Traded to Rebuild in Post-Belichick Era

After the Bill Belichick era shockingly came to an end on Thursday morning, these four Patriots must be traded to help with the impending rebuild.

By Devon Platana

JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of four Patriots who must be traded to help rebuild in the post-Belichick era.
JuJu Smith-Schuster is one of four Patriots who must be traded to help rebuild in the post-Belichick era. / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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2. Mac Jones, QB

With Belichick leaving town, Mac Jones must follow him out the door.

Drafted 15th overall in 2021, Jones never reached the heights that a lot of first-round quarterbacks do. While he looked impressive making the Pro Bowl as a rookie, he has regressed in each of the subsequent two seasons. After a disappointing 2022 campaign, the 25-year-old followed it up with just 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a 77.0 passer rating in 11 starts this season.

To make matters even worse, Jones was taken out of four different games in favor of backup QB Bailey Zappe, showing just how far the former Alabama gunslinger has fallen.

Even though Jones, 25, is still young enough to theoretically bounce back, the Patriots hold the third overall selection at the 2024 NFL Draft. That means they could have a chance to draft either USC's Caleb Williams or UNC's Drake Maye, who both have higher ceilings than the Jacksonville, FL native.

According to Spotrac, the Patriots can save $2,785,412 in cap space if they trade Jones at any point in the offseason. Considering how a handful of GMs out there love reclamation projects, New England likely won't have an issue moving on from Jones.

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