Mac Jones Praised by Patriots HC Bill Belichick Following Offseason NFL Trade Rumors

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones "had a good offseason and has had a really good camp" in the eyes of head coach Bill Belichick.

"He understands the offense—how it works, how to get his teammates involved, how to help them be productive," Belichick told reporters Monday. "So he's had a really good stretch here; it's been consistent all the way through."

Jones was the subject of speculation early in the offseason.

NBC Sports Boston's Tom E. Curran reported in March that Belichick was upset when he discovered the 2021 first-round pick sought advice from outside the team about handling the offense.

Then Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported in April that Belichick "has shopped Jones to multiple teams during the 2023 offseason," a narrative Mark Daniels of MassLive promptly called into question.

Well before Monday's comments from Belichick, the coach implicitly offered a pretty strong endorsement of Jones with how he approached the quarterback situation.

The Patriots didn't seriously pursue a veteran alternative such as Derek Carr or Aaron Rodgers, and they didn't invest any draft capital in the position. Even cutting Bailey Zappe meant Jones is more firmly entrenched as the starter.

Zappe, who was signed to the practice squad, might wind up backing Jones up, but teams typically don't cut QBs whom they believe to be of starting-caliber.

In general, the questions about Jones' long-term suitability stemmed from the fact his performance went backward in 2022. If nothing else, Belichick is giving him ample opportunity to prove his skeptics wrong in 2023.