Report: Patriots 'Committed' to Mac Jones amid Belichick's Comments on Bailey Zappe

The New England Patriots plan to give Mac Jones a fair shot as the starting quarterback despite lukewarm comments from head coach Bill Belichick.

"The Patriots are committed to seeing if Jones—who Belichick recently said has the skills to play in the NFL—can get back on track and realize the potential they identified in making him the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft," Mike Reiss of ESPN reported Friday.

Belichick has been less confident about Jones' future publicly, indicating it would be an open competition between him and Bailey Zappe.

"Everybody will get a chance to play," Belichick said about the quarterback battle, per Chris Mason of MassLive.com. "We'll play the best players."

Though Belichick later added that there will be competition at "every position," he refused to confirm that it was Jones' job to lose.

Jones was the runner-up for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 after throwing 22 passing touchdowns with 13 interceptions. He earned a Pro Bowl selection and led the Patriots to the playoffs with a 10-7 record as a starter.

The quarterback was less consistent in his second season, throwing just 14 touchdown passes in 14 games. His passer rating dropped from 92.5 to 84.8, while his total QBR went from 50.9 to 36.2. The Patriots also went just 6-8 in his starts.

Part of the struggles were blamed on the coaching staff, with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge taking on bigger roles offensively. In 2023, Bill O'Brien will take over as offensive coordinator after spending the past two years at Alabama, where Jones played under Nick Saban.

Owner Robert Kraft told reporters he believes the offseason changes will go a long way:

"I'm a big fan of Mac. He quarterbacked his rookie season and did a very fine job, I thought. We made the playoffs. I think we experimented with some things last year [coaching wise] that frankly didn't work when it came to him, in my opinion. I think we made changes [this year] that I think put him in a good position to excel."

On the other hand, Zappe impressed in his four appearances while Jones was dealing with an ankle injury. The rookie totaled five passing touchdowns and three interceptions with a 100.9 rating, while New England won both of his starts.

Jones remained the starting quarterback, but there was a divide in the locker room about the position, as safety Devin McCourty told WEEI's The Greg Hill Show (h/t Justin Leger of NBC Sports).

It seems Jones will have the upper hand going into 2023, although it might be a quick hook with Zappe looking to prove himself.