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.
2. Bailey Zappe
Speaking of struggling quarterbacks who need to go, we might as well toss Bailey Zappe over the side while we're at it.
Like Jones, Zappe got off to a promising start in his NFL career. Also like Jones, he's been unable to replicate it and has been objectively terrible in 2023.
With Jones struggling, Zappe has already relieved him three times this season. Unfortunately, he's been unable to capitalize on those opportunities, completing just 40% of his passes and throwing no touchdowns.
Worse, he blew his chance to win the game for New England in Week 10. Bill Belichick replaced Jones with Zappe for the Patriots' final drive with the team trailing 10-6, giving the latter a chance to potentially earn the starting QB job going forward. Instead, Zappe rewarded him by faking a spike and throwing a game-ending interception into triple coverage, sealing New England's fate and likely his own as well.
Zappe struggled in the preseason too and was already cut by Belichick before the season began, so the Patriots should have no problem moving on from him again.
3. JuJu Smith-Schuster
New England gave JuJu Smith-Schuster a lot of money in the offseason, but it's time to admit he's a sunk cost and move on.
Smith-Schuster was brought in to be the Patriots' No. 1 receiver after helping the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl last year. Instead, he's been barely noticeable this year, largely because the coaching staff doesn't even put him on the field during critical moments.
Through eight games, Smith-Schuster has managed a meager 22 catches on 34 targets for 149 yards and 1 touchdown. He's failed to crack double-digit receiving yards in four of his last six contests, so it's not like he's getting better, either.
The former Pro Bowler has shown zero chemistry with Jones and already looks old for a 26-year-old. Recent injuries seem to have taken their toll, and he's simply not making enough of an impact to merit additional playing time.
The Patriots have young receivers like Demario Douglas, Kayson Boutte and Tyquan Thornton who deserve those reps instead. Cutting Smith-Schuster would allow them to take on a larger role in the offense and show that they've got.
4. Ezekiel Elliott
While we're discussing free-agent busts, we need to talk about Ezekiel Elliott.
There's a reason nobody wanted him last offseason, and it's because he's old and washed up for a running back. Even after several years of declining production in Dallas, Elliott still managed to secure a one-year contract from New England late in the offseason to replace Damien Harris in the backfield.
That hasn't worked out as planned, either. After years of benefitting from incredible offenive lines with the Cowboys, Elliott has predictably struggled behind the Patriots' lackluster unit. He's turned 86 carries into 331 yards, averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt (tied for a career-low) and a career-worst 33.1 rushing yards per game.
Elliott only has 2 touchdowns after racking up 12 last year, so he's not finding the end zone consistently, either.
The 28-year-old clearly isn't coming back next season after his contract expires, so what's the point in delaying the inevitable? New England should just cut ties with Elliott now and give his carries to somebody else. Ty Montgomery and JaMycal Hasty probably aren't superior options, but you won't know unless you try.
We've seen enough to know that Elliott's cooked, and he's not going to magically turn back the clock in the second half of the season.
5. J.C. Jackson
The Patriots already cut one of their unruly cornerbacks in Jack Jones, so they might as well make it a clean break and dispose of J.C. Jackson as well.
New England rolled the dice by bringing Jackson back after a tumultuous start to the season with the Los Angeles Chargers, and things haven't gotten any better in his second stint with the Patriots. The team decided to leave him behind during its recent trip to Germany after he missed curfew before their Week 9 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Similar to Jones, Jackson isn't worth the trouble due to his underwhelming play on the field. He's started 2 of his 5 games with New England on the bench and hasn't made much of an impact, defending just 3 passes and failing to record an interception.
The Patriots needed help at cornerback after Christian Gonzalez went down for the season, but Jackson hasn't provided it. Not only that, but he's also been a bad teammate and doesn't seem to be fully engaged.
If Belichick couldn't tolerate Jones' erratic behavior, he shouldn't tolerate Jackson's, either.
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