Patriots' Mac Jones Discusses Bill Belichick Relationship: 'I Think We're Good'

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is ready to move on from a frustrating 2022 campaign.

While Jones often displayed his frustration with the offensive coaching staff last season, it appears he's on good terms with new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and head coach Bill Belichick entering 2023.

Jones said Wednesday of his relationship with Belichick, per NFL.com's Nick Shook:

"No, I think we're good. I think the biggest thing that we've all talked about is just having a fresh start. I think there's a lot of learning experiences from last year that we've talked about and this year, it's all about just working together, right? You've got to come up with a plan, obviously talk about it, and then execute it. So, I'm excited for that part of it. For me, I'm just trying to be really consistent, try not to ride the wave, just stay my course and hopefully, everybody on our offense feels that, too. I think Coach O'Brien does a great job laying out what we do well so far, and we're going to learn every day what we do well and then from there, you just keep moving forward and execute the plan. So, I'm definitely excited for that."

Jones burst onto the scene in 2021 with a solid rookie season under former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 17 games, leading the Patriots to a 10-7 record and a berth in the postseason.

When McDaniels left for the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job ahead of the 2022 campaign, the Patriots failed to fully replace him—naming Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to the offensive staff—and thus endured a season of offensive inefficiencies

Jones' performance took a hit as a result as he completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 14 games. The Patriots finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Following a season with no clear offensive direction, Patriots owner Robert Kraft hinted that changes would be in store this summer with a statement following the team's Week 18 loss to the Buffalo Bills:

"Unfortunately, our season ended sooner than we hoped yesterday afternoon in Buffalo. While we always want to be playing games with playoff implications in Week 18, our expectation was to perform better throughout the season and to advance through the playoffs. We can assure you that no one in our organization is satisfied with the results from this past season."

"In the weeks ahead, we will be making critical evaluations of all elements of our football operation as we strive to improve and return to the playoffs next year."

Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston reported a few days after Kraft's statement that the Patriots owner met with Belichick, who acknowledged that the team wasn't good enough on offense and needed to make some changes entering 2023.

In addition to hiring O'Brien as offensive coordinator, the Patriots signed wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki, bringing in two top targets for Jones. They also drafted wide receiver Demario Douglas and added wide receiver Kayshon Boutte as an undrafted free agent.

The Patriots remain far from perfect entering the 2023 campaign, and it's going to be difficult for the franchise to compete with the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins and the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets for the division crown.

Regardless, any signs of improvement from last season will be a step in the right direction for New England.