Mac Jones Trade Rumors: Patriots QB's Name Came Up in Talks With 'A Couple of Teams'

A Mac Jones trade has been a topic of conversation between the New England Patriots and "a couple teams," according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.

Breer reported on NBC Sports Boston the negotiations may have been mostly cursory and informal rather than a case of the Patriots actively making the young quarterback available:

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Tuesday that head coach Bill Belichick "has shopped Jones to multiple teams during the 2023 offseason."

However, Jeff Howe of The Athletic cited "several high-ranking executives from quarterback-needy teams in both the AFC and NFC" a day later who said New England didn't initiate discussion on a possible trade involving Jones.

It's certainly plausible Belichick is looking to send a message to Jones. NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran laid out how Jones got in the legendary coach's dog house when he reached out to his old coaches at Alabama for advice about New England's offense:

To that end, Belichick could've only considered trade conversations to be more of a thought exercise. Maybe there was a general manager who would've gone above and beyond to acquire the 2021 first-round pick.

But Belichick hasn't exactly operated like somebody who has full faith in his starting quarterback. He briefly benched Jones midway through the 2022 season and even now won't definitively commit to anybody as the Week 1 starter.

To some degree, you can rope hiring Matt Patricia to be the offensive play-caller into this as well. At the very least, that decision belied an understanding of how to help a developing QB grow on the field.

Compare how the Patriots have handled Jones to how the Chicago Bears have managed Justin Fields, who was another 2021 draftee.

Fields struggled as a rookie but thrived under head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who tailored the offensive scheme to fit his strengths. And while Fields was the subject of trade rumors this offseason, the organization removed any doubt about his status by trading the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and getting D.J. Moore in the deal.

Nobody is questioning where Fields fits into the Bears' plans anymore. With Jones and the Patriots, you could argue a sliver of doubt remains.

Breer wrote how the current discourse doesn't guarantee a trade is forthcoming but "does mean relationships here are in a weird spot."

That's not exactly what fans want to hear surrounding an organization that has missed the playoffs in two of the past three years and has been a bit listless following Tom Brady's departure.