Mac Jones' New Head Coach Throws Shade at Patriots

In a much-anticipated move, the New England Patriots parted ways with Mac Jones this offseason. The former 15th-overall pick had failed to live up to the hype after his rookie season, delivering underwhelming offensive production in back-to-back seasons. He was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the spring.

In Jacksonville, Jones is projected to be the backup behind Trevor Lawrence. He has been showing signs of a bounce-back campaign with his preseason performance as he leads the NFL in passer rating.

Doug Pederson Takes Shot at Patriots Over Mac Jones

Preseason production obviously doesn't mean much. We have seen countless times how it doesn't always translate to regular-season success. Yet, it has left Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson impressed. In fact, he didn't hold back in taking shots at the Patriots over their use of Jones.

"Mac has played extremely well in the last couple of weeks and has really bought into what we do. He’ll still revert back to his Patriots ways every now and then, and we have to remind him he’s in Jacksonville. But he’s done a good job managing and running the offense, getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he’s done a good job."

- Jaguars HC Doug Pederson

Even though Pederson doesn't specify what he exactly means when he says "his Patriots ways", it's not hard to understand. Every Pats fan is familiar with what ailed Jones in his 25 starts in the last two years. Questionable decision-making, lack of composure, and tendency to make mistakes have prevented the former Alabama star from finding success early in his career. His turnover-prone nature has frustrated Patriots fans time and again but Pederson is clearly hoping that is not the case in Jacksonville.

If things go according to plan, the Jaguars don't need Jones. Trevor Lawrence has proven himself to be one of the best young quarterbacks in the league in his first three years. But, in the NFL, you always need a reliable backup QB. Whether Jones can do a better job at that than he did as QB1 remains to be seen.

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