The Mac Jones experiment didn’t work out for the New England Patriots, but some major lessons were learned that should help the team with their new first-round pick, Drake Maye.
Patriots Executive Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf appeared recently on Up & Adams to discuss what lessons he believes the team has learned about the way the Mac Jones situation was handled.
“The main thing that we’ve been able to take away is just being able to support not only Drake (Maye), but every quarterback we have,” Wolf said. “Just throw every level of support that we possibly can at the quarterbacks. And those are things that, whether it’s coaching, whether it’s something off the field, whether it’s virtual reality, whatever the case may be, just really having the willingness to support whoever the quarterback is in every facet that we possibly can.”
Jones struggled last season with the Patriots, but a strong argument can be made that it wasn’t all his fault.
The playmakers that surrounded Jones weren’t good enough and didn’t make his life all that easy. The top wide receiver in 2023 was DeMario Douglas, who finished with 561 yards. Tight end Hunter Henry was next, finishing with 419 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s good to hear that the Patriots learned, but it won’t mean anything if the team doesn’t do everything in its power to improve Maye’s life under center.
Kendrick Bourne should be healthy and looks like a boost, but more must be done. The team signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year deal, but counting on him as a true number one might not be smart either.
Improving the offense is not something that is probably going to be done overnight, but if the Patriots are entering year three or four with Maye as the starting quarterback, and they don’t have a true star wide receiver on the field, they are making a huge mistake.
It could be a long process with plenty of growing pains, bt the Patriots hope that this time it’s going to turn out differently. If the Patriots don’t surround him with the right personnel, it’s going to be another three or four wasted years, and the Patriots will be back at square one.
No one knows the future, but it appears the right steps are being taken to get the New England Patriots back to the promised land.
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