3 Patriots on the Naughty List (& 2 on the Nice List) This Christmas

Patriots Naughty List #2: Mac Jones

Mac Jones has had quite the fall from grace since being drafted 15th overall in 2021.

The former Alabama QB dazzled with a Pro Bowl appearance in his rookie year, but he's been trending in the wrong direction since then. After an underwhelming sophomore season, some Patriots fans had faith that he could bounce back in 2023 — especially with the addition of weapons like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, and Ezekiel Elliott.

Instead, Jones picked up right from where he left off, and not in a good way. Through 11 starts this season, the 25-year-old signal-caller has only thrown for 2,120 passing yards with 10 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Even worse is the fact that his 77.0 passer rating ranks 13th-worst among 54 qualified QBs.

Jones was also benched in four of his appearances, playing a big role in why Bailey Zappe has been New England's starting QB over the last three weeks.

Even though offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien hasn't ruled out the idea of Jones starting again, it's safe to say that Patriots fans are ready to move on. The franchise is projected to have a top-five selection at the 2024 draft, meaning the franchise will have the opportunity to draft a signal-caller with a higher ceiling than Jones.

While Jones hopes for a fresh start this year, all he's getting in the meantime is coal on Christmas.