5 Patriots Who Should Be Cut Before the Season Ends
By Tyler Maher
The New England Patriots are mired in their worst season in decades, and it's clear that major changes are needed to get the organization back on track. That includes a new head coach, a new quarterback and frankly a new roster.
The Patriots need to blow things up, and that starts with getting rid of players who won't be part of the future. With New England out of the playoff hunt, the team should focus on developing its youngsters during the second half of the season and figuring out who's worth keeping next year.
To make room for them, here are five players the Patriots need to cut before the season ends.
1. Mac Jones
It's always tough to admit you whiffed on a first-round pick, but unfortunately that's the case with Mac Jones.
Jones has regressed dramatically since his promising rookie campaign in 2021, taking a big step backward in 2022 and becoming virtually unplayable in 2023. His costly mistakes have cost New England multiple games this season, most recently his mind-boggling interception against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10.
It's clear that Jones isn't the franchise QB the Patriots hoped he'd be, so there's no point in running him out there for a few more games to confirm it.
New England needs to give someone else a chance at quarterback for the time being and ideally draft a new one in April. Fortunately, there are several promising signal-callers at the top of this year's draft class like Caleb Williams and Drake Maye, but almost anyone would be better than Jones at this point.
Jones deserves a change of scenery and a chance to bounce back with another team. The Patriots broke him, so they owe him that opportunity by cutting him rather than continuing to damage his confidence or making him rot on the bench.