Patriots Rumors: NE Isn't 'Wavering' on Mac Jones as Starting QB over Bailey Zappe

The New England Patriots reportedly "aren't wavering" on their decision to keep Mac Jones as their starting quarterback over rookie Bailey Zappe.

ESPN's Mike Reiss reported Wednesday the Pats have given "zero indication—publicly or behind the scenes" they are looking to replace Jones now or in the immediate future.

Jones has struggled to back up his promising rookie campaign during the first half of the 2022 season. He's completed 65.9 percent of his throws for 993 yards with just three touchdowns and seven interceptions across five starts.

That's a far cry from last year, when he recorded 22 TDs and 13 INTs while leading the Patriots to a playoff appearance with a 10-7 record.

Zappe, who's played in four games as Jones recovered from an ankle injury, has held his own with a 70.7 percent completion rate, five touchdowns and three interceptions.

It wasn't enough for the Patriots to hand him the keys to the offense as Jones returned from injury, however, and the 2021 Pro Bowler played a decent game in Sunday's win over the New York Jets, going 24 of 35 for 194 yards with one touchdown and one pick.

"I thought Mac did a nice job," head coach Bill Belichick told reporters. "We had pressure on quite a few pass plays—more than we would like, for sure—and I thought he made good decisions. He had to pull the ball down a couple and made some key runs for us. The Jets gave us some looks at the line of scrimmage that he had to deal with in the running game; I thought he handled those well. I thought he gave us a lot of good plays."

While New England is standing behind Jones for now, it'll be interesting to see whether the coaching staff's stance changes if he doesn't show signs of returning to his 2021 form in the coming weeks.

The Patriots are still in the thick of the AFC playoff race with a 4-4 record, but their margin for is limited with a difficult schedule down the stretch. It makes their new two contests, winnable home games against the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets, quite crucial.

If Jones doesn't play well in those matchups, it wouldn't be a surprise to see a new round of calls to give Zappe another chance to spark the Pats' offense.