The New England Patriots had another frustrating season offensively in 2022, especially when it came to the cohesiveness of quarterback Mac Jones and offensive coordinator Matt Patricia. According to former quarterback and current sports analyst Chris Simms, Jones was so unhappy with the Patriots offense that he began seeking assistance outside the organization.
“He was telling people he wasn’t happy,” Simms said in an appearance on NBC’s Pro Football Talk Live. “He was calling people about, ‘Hey, can you help us with ideas and do stuff like that?’”
Eventually, the situation led to an encounter where Mac Jones and Bill Belichick had an argument over the former asking for help outside of the team. According to Sims, the situation became “personal.”
“From my understanding, Belichick found out all these things,” Simms continued. “He found out that Mac was talking to people, and all this, and there was some back-channel conversations going on behind Belichick’s back. And I think that’s where it did get personal.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio corroborated with Simms’ anecdote, stating that Belichick discussed the situation with Jones.
“And Belichick made Mac Jones aware of it, too, as you might imagine — which is why it stopped,” Florio said.
Looking forward to 2023, it’s still as of yet unclear what the Patriots will do to bolster their offense, whether that’s switching up the offensive coordinator position and playcalling, bringing in new talent to augment the offensive line or trying something new at the quarterback position. When asked by reporters if Mac Jones would remain as quarterback in the 2023 season, Belichick responded, “Mac has the ability to play quarterback in this league. We all have to work together to find the best way as a football team, obviously quarterback is a big position, to be more productive.”
Do Belichick’s statements suggest that Mac Jones will be Patriots quarterback in 2023 or not? As always with the cryptic and terse Belichick, the answer isn’t yet certain.
NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran believes that there will be some big changes to the Patriots offense in 2023, citing a recent meeting between Belichick and Patriots owner Robert Kraft that reportedly dealt with the two discussing a reconstruction of the offense.
“My understanding is reassignments are going to happen, and several offensive coaches are under consideration for the Patriots’ 2023 staff,” Curran said.
What do you think of the fact that Mac Jones and Bill Belichick had an argument over Jones asking for outside help? What changes need to be made on the Patriots for its offense to improve? Let us know what you think in the comments.
