Patriots' Matt Judon Defends Mac Jones amid Trade Rumors: 'We Know He Can Do It'

New England Patriots star linebacker Matt Judon has faith that quarterback Mac Jones, who has been benched multiple times over the past two seasons, can turn it around and successfully lead the Pats.

"When Mac was comfortable, and he had a good system, he produced and he put up numbers," Judon told the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan.

"And when you said we scored 45-7 (versus Cleveland in 2021), Mac Jones led that team. We know he can do it. He has to find his confidence, his stride, and get a rhythm under him. And it's going to be difficult — it's his fourth (offensive coordinator) in four years."

Jones, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, finished second in the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and earned Pro Bowl honors too after amassing 22 touchdowns and 3,801 passing yards. That Pats team won 10 games, made the playoffs and finished sixth in scoring. New England had some explosive performances, including the aforementioned 45-7 win over the Cleveland Browns, a 54-13 win against the New York Jets and a 50-10 victory versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.

He hasn't been able to replicate that rookie season success since, though in fairness to Jones, he hasn't exactly been put in the best position to succeed either. The Pats haven't had explosive playmakers around Jones, and he notably ran an offense led by coaches with backgrounds in defense (Matt Patricia) and special teams (Joe Judge) in 2022.

A change to Bill O'Brien as OC didn't help matters, and Jones was benched for the final month-and-a-half of this season, which ended with more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (10).

Now New England is at a crossroads at quarterback. The Pats could stick it out with Jones in year four and hope for a turnaround, or they can just turn the page and add a new signal-caller in the draft with the No. 3 overall draft pick.

If the Pats choose the former, it isn't out of the equation to see him turn it around. Judon noted how Baker Mayfield, who was discarded by the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers within 12 months before enjoying a career renaissance with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023, turned it all around.

"Nah, I think once you catch a stride, catch a rhythm — that's what they were talking about with Baker (Mayfield)," Judon said. "Now we're talking about (Mayfield) being one of the first people off the board in free agency."

We'll see what the Pats decide soon enough, with the draft looming on April 25 from Detroit.