Perry talks about what Belichick did to help pick Mac Jones.
These are the New England Patriots’ needs for a new star quarterback. Three years ago, they picked Mac Jones as their 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Jones’ rough path from runner-up for Rookie of the Year to Bailey Zappe’s backup is well known. But what did Bill Belichick as well as the Patriots think of Jones after they picked him in the 2021 draft? And what part did Robert Kraft, the team’s owner, play in Jones’ choice?
As Belichick and the Patriots are ending their 24th season together, these things are worth looking into. Jones is also a good option for trade this summer if New England uses their No. 3 overall pick to get a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Our own Phil Perry said on the most recent Patriots Talk Podcast that Belichick decided to pick Jones in 2021, not Kraft. Perry says that Kraft wasn’t an essential component of that process, even though he was in the “war room” in Belichick on draft night.
These are the New England Patriots’ needs for a new star quarterback. Three years ago, they picked Mac Jones as their 15th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Jones’ rough path from runner-up for Rookie of the Year to Bailey Zappe’s backup is well known. But what did Bill Belichick as well as the Patriots think for Jones when they picked him in the 2021 draft? And what part did Robert Kraft, the team’s owner, play in Jones’ choice?
As Belichick while the Patriots are ending their 24th season together, these things are worth looking into. Jones is also a good option for trade this summer if New England uses their No. 3 overall choice to get a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Patriots even posted a video of Belichick speaking with Dave Ziegler, Eliot Wolf, Matt Groh, and Matt Patricia before sending the Jones pick. Even though Belichick had the final say, the process was still a team effort.
“There were a lot of people that were associated with Bill Belichick’s ultimate decision there and a lot in people he consulted, but Robert Kraft wasn’t any of them, and his opinion was not shared at that moment, is my understanding,” said Perry.
“What I was told as far in Robert Kraft’s involvement was, ‘Robert was nothing to do with it.'” Belichick liked Jones so much that he used the Patriots’ highest select pick since 2008 to get him. Perry says, though, that Belichick didn’t see Jones as the next Tom Brady.
“Does that mean Bill Belichick believed in Mac Jones 100%?” “From what I know, no, he wasn’t,” Perry said. “But it was almost like people didn’t want to admit that Mac Jones had been good enough. The Patriots needed a quarterback badly.”
It’s not the best example, but the prior Bengals quarterback did make the Pro Bowl three times and led the team to five separate playoff appearances.
The Patriots needed a better quarterback at the time because Cam Newton was past his prime and was their first choice.
“He didn’t care about Mac Jones, but he knew where the company was going and what they needed. They also thought that Mac Jones was good enough.” They all came to the same conclusion in the end, and Bill Belichick had been the one who fired the shot.
“Does that mean Bill Belichick believed in Mac Jones 100%?” “From what I know, no, he wasn’t,” Perry said.
“But it was almost like people didn’t want to admit that Mac Jones proved good enough. The Patriots needed a quarterback badly.”
It’s not the best example, but the prior Bengals quarterback did make the Pro Bowl three times and led the team to five clean playoff appearances.
The Patriots needed a better quarterback at the time because Cam Newton was past his prime and was their first choice.
“They were in, in the words that were communicated to me by one person, ‘quarterback purgatory’ at that time,” said Perry. There’s no point in taking shots at the quarterback because you’ll never hit.
So, Bill Belichick looked at Mac Jones as well and thought he was an excellent enough player. But did his grade match up with where they were in the draft? Was he all in on him? Would he be willing to move up for him? No, that’s not what I understand.