FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — What’s subsequent for the New England Patriots at quarterback?
By finalizing a commerce to ship quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the brand new Patriots regime — led by director of scouting Eliot Wolf and first-year head coach Jerod Mayo — finally determined {that a} contemporary begin was finest for either side.
Jones, the No. 15 decide of the 2021 NFL draft, confirmed promise as a rookie when he was named a Professional Bowl alternate. However his efficiency declined after a regrettable string of teaching and personnel-related selections by former head coach Invoice Belichick, with Jones additionally taking accountability for issues he may have finished higher on the sphere. He was benched after 11 video games final season, rising the probability that his Patriots days had been close to an finish.
Over three seasons, Jones completed his Patriots profession 864 of 1,308 for 8,918 yards, with 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions.
The group has 2022 fourth-round decide Bailey Zappe and December waiver wire pickup Nathan Rourke on its present quarterback depth chart, however extra additions are assured.
The Patriots are optimistic that first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, whose work getting 5 quarterbacks able to play for the Cleveland Browns final season drew rave evaluations, will do the identical for New England’s QB group.
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Van Pelt stated the important thing traits he seems to be for in quarterbacks are: “good, powerful and a frontrunner.”
“Clearly, there may be accuracy within the cross recreation, and mobility and decision-making,” he stated. “There’s quite a bit that goes into it, however on the finish of the day that position is such an vital position for not simply the offense however for the group: a man that could be a true chief who actually understands his teammates and will get one of the best out of these guys.”
When scouting quarterbacks, Wolf additionally has stated he values those that elevate their teammates.
“Somebody that your teammates wish to play for,” he stated. “I believe that is a particularly underrated factor that individuals do not actually speak about that a lot. Management is vital. And clearly bodily expertise; we would not be speaking about these guys in the event that they weren’t bodily gifted.”
As for Mayo’s view, he stated: “Everybody desires the massive arm and mobility and issues like that, however I do suppose it is vital simply to get an excellent sense of what kind of competitor they’re. Their toughness. These are belongings you actually search for.”
Who’s going to be the following Patriots signal-caller? The Patriots have the No. 3 decide in a quarterback-heavy 2024 draft and are additionally anticipated to discover signing a veteran possibility in free company.
No. 3 decide
Three quarterbacks are anticipated to steer the draft board in April: USC’s Caleb Williams, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye.
One NFL basic supervisor stated he likes the spot the Patriots discover themselves in as a result of they will sit at decide 3 and take whichever quarterback falls — assuming they charge them carefully.
The Chicago Bears are broadly assumed and projected to be choosing Williams with the highest decide, after which the Washington Commanders would seemingly be deciding between Daniels and Maye at No. 2.
The Patriots met with all three prospects, amongst others, on the mix in Indianapolis final week.
“It is a actually good yr for quarterbacks,” Wolf stated earlier than these conferences. “One factor in regards to the quarterbacks on this draft, particularly, that I am enthusiastic about is all of them appear like they’re actually powerful guys. Which is clearly nice at any place, however the quarterback place particularly.”
Daniels received the Heisman Trophy in 2023 after a sensational season by which he accounted for 4,946 yards of offense (3,812 passing, 1,134 speeding) and 50 whole touchdowns. One of many questions scouts have relating to Daniels is whether or not his slimmer body may have an effect on his sturdiness within the NFL. Daniels, who was listed on LSU’s roster at 6-foot-4 and 210 kilos, didn’t take official measurements on the NFL mix.
There are not any such questions with Maye, who measured 6-foot-4 and 223 kilos on the mix. Maye, nonetheless, did not face the identical stage of competitors as Daniels and did not match his manufacturing after dropping off in 2023 whereas enjoying below a brand new offensive coordinator and in a brand new system. Maye threw for 4,321 yards with 38 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2022, then totaled 3,608 passing yards with 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 2023.
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In a draft-related convention name final week, ESPN’s Area Yates stated the Patriots cannot go fallacious with both Daniels or Maye.
“There is no comfort prize for the Patriots at decide 3. These guys are all so completely different that regardless of which quarterback is offered there for the Patriots, I consider any of these three are the type of building-block gamers you can spend a decade with they usually can turn out to be the centerpiece of what the Patriots hope is a brand new arc of profitable once more,” Yates stated.
“Given the determined want at quarterback there, my mentality could be the chance value. For those who do not take one now, and also you get a nominal improve in free company that may push you to the eighth or tenth decide within the draft subsequent yr, do the identical train proper now. If the Patriots commerce down from decide 3 to choose 8 or 11, it is going to value the buying group a boatload. For those who’re the Patriots, and you do not take one in every of these quarterbacks now — and now you are selecting tenth or eleventh subsequent yr — are you prepared to pay the total freight a yr from now?”
Free agent choices
If the Patriots choose a quarterback at No. 3, they’re more likely to signal a veteran signal-caller to enhance him. The veteran may probably begin, making a dynamic the place there isn’t a urgency to hurry the rookie into motion.
Constructing that kind of infrastructure round a rookie quarterback is on Wolf’s radar.
“The principle factor is simply making an attempt to do all the pieces we will to assist that individual as soon as they get into the constructing,” Wolf stated. “We will make one of the best choice we will, by way of who that individual is, if we determine to go quarterback at 3. Simply placing each useful resource, and all the pieces now we have, into that individual to assist them and ensure they’re one of the best model of themselves.”
Jacoby Brissett, 31, and Joe Flacco, 39, are veterans who performed for the Browns when Van Pelt was quarterbacks coach, which is why they’ve been linked because the almost certainly targets for the Patriots.
Brissett, who entered the NFL as a 2016 fourth-round decide of the Patriots, began 11 video games for the Browns in 2022. He accomplished 236 of 369 passes for two,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Brissett moved on to Washington in 2023, serving as a backup to Sam Howell.
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In the meantime, the Browns signed Flacco late final season after enduring a run of accidents, and his play earned him the Related Press Comeback Participant of the Yr award. He accomplished 60% of his passes for 1,616 yards with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions within the common season, with Cleveland posting a 4-1 report in his begins and incomes a playoff berth. Flacco threw two pick-6s in a 45-14 wild-card spherical loss to the Texans.
Baker Mayfield was additionally an possibility coming into Sunday, however the Buccaneers and Mayfield agreed to a three-year deal for $100 million in whole and $50 million assured, sources instructed ESPN on Sunday.
