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Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — What’s next for the New England Patriots at quarterback?
By finalizing a trade to send quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the new Patriots regime — led by director of scouting Eliot Wolf and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo — ultimately decided that a fresh start was best for both sides.
Jones, the No. 15 pick of the 2021 NFL draft, showed promise as a rookie when he was named a Pro Bowl alternate. But his performance declined after a regrettable string of coaching and personnel-related decisions by former head coach Bill Belichick, with Jones also taking accountability for things he could have done better on the field. He was benched after 11 games last season, increasing the likelihood that his Patriots days were near an end.
Over three seasons, Jones finished his Patriots career 864 of 1,308 for 8,918 yards, with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
The team has 2022 fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe and December waiver wire pickup Nathan Rourke on its current quarterback depth chart, but more additions are guaranteed.
The Patriots are optimistic that first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, whose work getting five quarterbacks ready to play for the Cleveland Browns last season drew rave reviews, will do the same for New England’s QB group.
Van Pelt said the key traits he looks for in quarterbacks are: “smart, tough and a leader.”
“Obviously, there is accuracy in the pass game, and mobility and decision-making,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes into it, but at the end of the day that role is such an important role for not just the offense but for the team: a guy that is a true leader who really understands his teammates and gets the best out of those guys.”
When scouting quarterbacks, Wolf also has said he values those who elevate their teammates.
“Someone that your teammates want to play for,” he said. “I think that’s an extremely underrated thing that people don’t really talk about that much. Leadership is important. And obviously physical talent; we wouldn’t be talking about these guys if they weren’t physically talented.”
As for Mayo’s view, he said: “Everyone wants the big arm and mobility and things like that, but I do think it’s important just to get a good sense of what type of competitor they are. Their toughness. Those are things you really look for.”
Who’s going to be the next Patriots signal-caller? The Patriots have the No. 3 pick in a quarterback-heavy 2024 draft and are also expected to explore signing a veteran option in free agency.
No. 3 pick
Three quarterbacks are expected to lead the draft board in April: USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
One NFL general manager said he likes the spot the Patriots find themselves in because they can sit at pick 3 and take whichever quarterback falls — assuming they rate them closely.
The Chicago Bears are widely assumed and projected to be selecting Williams with the top pick, and then the Washington Commanders would likely be deciding between Daniels and Maye at No. 2.
The Patriots met with all three prospects, among others, at the combine in Indianapolis last week.
“It’s a really good year for quarterbacks,” Wolf said before those meetings. “One thing about the quarterbacks in this draft, specifically, that I’m excited about is they all look like they’re really tough guys. Which is obviously great at any position, but the quarterback position especially.”
Daniels won the Heisman Trophy in 2023 after a sensational season in which he accounted for 4,946 yards of offense (3,812 passing, 1,134 rushing) and 50 total touchdowns. One of the questions scouts have regarding Daniels is whether his slimmer frame could affect his durability in the NFL. Daniels, who was listed on LSU’s roster at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds, did not take official measurements at the NFL combine.
There are no such questions with Maye, who measured 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds at the combine. Maye, however, didn’t face the same level of competition as Daniels and didn’t match his production after dropping off in 2023 while playing under a new offensive coordinator and in a new system. Maye threw for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2022, then totaled 3,608 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2023.
In a draft-related conference call last week, ESPN’s Field Yates said the Patriots can’t go wrong with either Daniels or Maye.
“There’s no consolation prize for the Patriots at pick 3. These guys are all so different that no matter which quarterback is available there for the Patriots, I believe any of those three are the kind of building-block players that you can spend a decade with and they can become the centerpiece of what the Patriots hope is a new arc of winning again,” Yates said.
“Given the desperate need at quarterback there, my mentality would be the opportunity cost. If you don’t take one now, and you get a nominal upgrade in free agency that might push you to the eighth or 10th pick in the draft next year, do the same exercise right now. If the Patriots trade down from pick 3 to pick 8 or 11, it’s going to cost the acquiring team a boatload. If you’re the Patriots, and you don’t take one of these quarterbacks now — and now you’re picking 10th or 11th next year — are you willing to pay the full freight a year from now?”
Free agent options
If the Patriots select a quarterback at No. 3, they are likely to sign a veteran signal-caller to complement him. The veteran could possibly start, creating a dynamic where there is no urgency to rush the rookie into action.
Building that type of infrastructure around a rookie quarterback is on Wolf’s radar.
“The main thing is just trying to do everything we can to support that person once they get into the building,” Wolf said. “We’re going to make the best decision we can, in terms of who that person is, if we decide to go quarterback at 3. Just putting every resource, and everything we have, into that person to support them and make sure they are the best version of themselves.”
Jacoby Brissett, 31, and Joe Flacco, 39, are veterans who played for the Browns when Van Pelt was quarterbacks coach, which is why they have been linked as the most likely targets for the Patriots.
Brissett, who entered the NFL as a 2016 fourth-round pick of the Patriots, started 11 games for the Browns in 2022. He completed 236 of 369 passes for 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions. Brissett moved on to Washington in 2023, serving as a backup to Sam Howell.
Meanwhile, the Browns signed Flacco late last season after enduring a run of injuries, and his play earned him the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award. He completed 60% of his passes for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the regular season, with Cleveland posting a 4-1 record in his starts and earning a playoff berth. Flacco threw two pick-6s in a 45-14 wild-card round loss to the Texans.
Baker Mayfield is another veteran who played under Van Pelt in Cleveland, and thus the Patriots’ potential interest can’t be ruled out after his standout season with the Buccaneers. Mayfield, however, is expected to command a contract commensurate with a No. 1 starter that could be worth as much as $40 million per season.
If the Patriots sign Mayfield, it would likely indicate that they don’t have conviction in the top quarterbacks in the draft, or are willing to select one early with the intention to have him sit for multiple years.