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Is Mac Jones salvageable anywhere by anyone?


Doesn't matter. Mac is horrendous. You could have McVay and Shanahan's love child back there and it would make no difference with Mac. As soon as other teams realized he couldn't throw an out, it was all over.
I think we just need to let mac throw ball off or dump to a catching back. We really missed James white. That's the need for Mac with this protection break ups.

Considering how bad zappe and Mac looked while browning and monshew appeared decent makes me question our offensive scheming , offensive line and wide receivers.

It could still be Mac, but there's a big 50% chance that it's the skill players and scheme. Mac was asked to throw more than what he should because we couldn't develop a running game till late in season.
 
Hopefully he stays as a cheap Practice Squad QB for the Patriots, while finishing his contract. This way he will not ruin another NFL club. During his time next season as the PS backup with the Patriots he should work on developing a new career for his future.
 
Hopefully he stays as a cheap Practice Squad QB for the Patriots, while finishing his contract. This way he will not ruin another NFL club. During his time next season as the PS backup with the Patriots he should work on developing a new career for his future.
???

1) His salary is guaranteed.

2) He would need to be cut before he would be eligible to sign a Practice Squad contract, and Jones would not be required to sign such a contract.

3) After being waived/cut, he can sign anywhere, knowing that he will be receiving at least the guaranteed money from the patriots. In a sense, if Jones wanted a new start at almost risk to the new team, he could simply sign a vet minimum contract.

4) IMO, if the patriots waived Jones, there would be teams who would sign him to compete to be their #2 or even #3 QB. Jones may have been the worst starter in the league, That fact does NOT mean that he has no future in the league, especially as a backup.
 
I can't say with certainty that he can't be salvaged (at least as a solid backup for a team that already has a talented offense), but I would like him to be traded even for a late round draft pick, as I believe that we should draft hopefully a true #1 (if not Franchise QB) in this upcoming draft. Zappe should stay for maybe a backup spot as he'd be cheap and even if who we draft sits for a year or two (especially if they're on the young side age wise) while we hopefully build up the rest of the offense, Zappe could be a "Bridge" QB, or still a required depth piece.
 
I can't say with certainty that he can't be salvaged (at least as a solid backup for a team that already has a talented offense), but I would like him to be traded even for a late round draft pick, as I believe that we should draft hopefully a true #1 (if not Franchise QB) in this upcoming draft. Zappe should stay for maybe a backup spot as he'd be cheap and even if who we draft sits for a year or two (especially if they're on the young side age wise) while we hopefully build up the rest of the offense, Zappe could be a "Bridge" QB, or still a required depth piece.
Unless there is a bidding war, a team that wants him is likely to wait until we waive him to avoid paying him the guaranteed salary. A team that signs him would want to be able to cut him in camp.
 
I can't say with certainty that he can't be salvaged (at least as a solid backup for a team that already has a talented offense), but I would like him to be traded even for a late round draft pick, as I believe that we should draft hopefully a true #1 (if not Franchise QB) in this upcoming draft. Zappe should stay for maybe a backup spot as he'd be cheap and even if who we draft sits for a year or two (especially if they're on the young side age wise) while we hopefully build up the rest of the offense, Zappe could be a "Bridge" QB, or still a required depth piece.
Who would pay Jones a guaranteed $2,785,410 plus a workout bonus for coming to voluntary workouts, with no ability to cut him and save the money?
 
How about this trade

Jones for a conditional pick
The team gives us a 6th if he makes the 53.
We give them a 5th if Jones doesn't (to make up for the fact that they had to pay him the guaranteed salary).
==========
This isn't terrible for the patriots. We would have to basically return the draft choice if he doesn't make the team. In addition, we save $2.785 of cap money to use somewhere useful.
 
Who would pay Jones a guaranteed $2,785,410 plus a workout bonus for coming to voluntary workouts, with no ability to cut him and save the money?
A lot of backups are getting paid a lot more than that. A lot. The Cowboys don't even have a need for Trey Lance with Prescott there, and they still took him on.

Teams like New Orleans could kick the tires for a 5th or 6th. Or Denver.
 
Who would pay Jones a guaranteed $2,785,410 plus a workout bonus for coming to voluntary workouts, with no ability to cut him and save the money?
I don't know. I merely stated I would trade him for whatever a team would offer as I think that he's done here (and that's not counting that he might not want to stay here even with a new staff. My main premise, as the thread asks, can he be salvaged.
 
Firstly, I think the answer has to be no for the Pats.

I think the offense has too many non-QB problems to become good next year even if all the high draft capital and free agency windfall are primarily applied to the offense. There are too many problems with both the OL and skill positions to make this an easy place for a QB to play.

And Mac has only been good when he was running a strong offense that minimized pressure on him and didn't force him off platform.

I believe that looking at his skills abstractly, Mac Jones can be quality starter.

Sure, his arm strength is below NFL average, but the top 2 QB's in the NFL this year by both DYAR and DVOA, Purdy and Tua, also have below average arms.

Mac also has better athleticism than most people give him credit for (not that he knows how to use it).

Accuracy is obviously a strength of his (NCAA record holder) and I believe he has shown at times that can be accurate on the run as well.

His pre-snap reads seem to be more than adequate (although post snap he often falls apart).

So why has he failed so miserably? I believe it's because he plays with a high base level of anxiety and can easily panic when anything goes wrong (as of course it often will for a below average offense in the NFL). And when he panics, he forgets all his fundamentals and makes both poor decisions and poor throws. That interception vs the Colts was one of the worst throws in Patriot history.

I also suspect that the painful injury Mac suffered in 2022 has added some physical cowardice to his heap of anxiety, and being labelled a dirty player likely has increased that by adding fear of retaliation. And as we saw with Tony Eason, an NFL QB can't be a coward and succeed.

While when Mac came out of college he has some superficial similarity to Brady, Mac has proven to be the anti-Brady: where Tom was as clutch as anyone in NFL history, Mac has been historically bad in high pressure situations or when the game is on the line.

I really doubt he can be coached up from that by anyone.

As we saw at Alabama, Mac benefits much more than most QB's when leading a superior offense. I think he would look much better at Miami or SF. And I think he will look impressive in anyone's training camp.

But the anxiety will always be lurking within him, and you can't trust him not to panic when pressured or when the game is on the line.

As a long shot, someone here once suggested that Zoloft or some other anti-anxiety/anti-depressant might actually help him calm down enough to play to his talent.

Zoloft and other SSRIs are apparently not banned in international competition by the WUDA ("World Anti-Doping Agency"). Does anyone know whether they are considered PED's by the NFL, and/or would trigger positively on NFL drug tests?
He can work on his performance anxiety issues without having to resort to medicating it. You don’t just take those things to calm performance anxiety nerves. Good Lord

Sports psychologists definitely work in this area, maybe would be good for him.
 
Not here. The damage is done. Though I do think some people need to get comfortable with the idea that he might go somewhere else and look a lot better under a different offense while we still are getting our **** together

there is a highly likely chance this happens. and alot of the fans blaming him 100% will then start blaming Mayo/Wolf for letting him go if he puts up stats similar to his rookie year.

that's not to say I want him here or think he's the answer. watching the playoffs seeing guys throw off their back foot all the time its pretty clear Mac has serious physical deficiencies that cannot be remedied. He needs to step into his throws to make them. AND his biggest issue is turtling/acting petrified under pressure. That's not something I am sure can be fixed or is a good sign.

so, even if he is rehabbed the ceiling isn't very high with him. which I always thought. I thought Bill was just content on going 8-8 get the record and retiring. so he didn't really care if his QB was that great, or if his roster was that great. he built the roster like a pet project.
 
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I think we just need to let mac throw ball off or dump to a catching back. We really missed James white. That's the need for Mac with this protection break ups.

Considering how bad zappe and Mac looked while browning and monshew appeared decent makes me question our offensive scheming , offensive line and wide receivers.

It could still be Mac, but there's a big 50% chance that it's the skill players and scheme. Mac was asked to throw more than what he should because we couldn't develop a running game till late in season.

Almost everyone can see that offensive scheming, coaching, OL and wide receivers are important and even average QB's can perform with them. If you put browning of Minshew on the patriots I bet they look just as bad as zappe/mac.

But because those guys were all picked by Bill B and have been complete disasters. the same posters will constantly put blindfolds on and act like all is fine in those departments and Mac sabotaged bill all on his own!

its not based in reality. its based in defending Bill at all costs and absolving him of all errors.
 
Mac Jones needs to go. Both sides of this need a fresh start. What I don’t want to see is the Pats fall into the same trap the Giants did with Daniel Jones: a QB who stunk, didn’t get his 5th year option picked up, had a career-best season heading into free agency, and convinced the team to commit a new big contract to him, only for him to revert back to a pumpkin. Rookie season Mac feels like a long time ago, and his ceiling was already in question heading into the NFL. He may yet make an NFL career for himself, but I doubt it’ll be enough to make the Pats regret moving on from him.
 
Almost everyone can see that offensive scheming, coaching, OL and wide receivers are important and even average QB's can perform with them. If you put browning of Minshew on the patriots I bet they look just as bad as zappe/mac.

But because those guys were all picked by Bill B and have been complete disasters. the same posters will constantly put blindfolds on and act like all is fine in those departments and Mac sabotaged bill all on his own!

its not based in reality. its based in defending Bill at all costs and absolving him of all errors.
This is so wrong.

I was a huge Mac fan and wanted him to succeed. Defended him until the absolute reality of the situation set in. I only even came to the realization in the 2nd game of this year. I was very late to it.
 
My anxiety will go significantly down once he’s off the team and I no longer have to picture him playing QB for NE.
 


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