First reported on Sunday, the New England Patriots’ trade of former starting quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars has happened.
Both NFL teams announced the trade on Thursday afternoon. The Jaguars got the former Alabama All-American, but what did the Patriots get?
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New England announced Jones had been traded for a 2024 draft pick. Jacksonville announced terms of the trade were not disclosed.
Reports on Sunday indicated Jones was being dealt for a sixth-round selection. Jacksonville’s sixth-round pick on April 27 is No. 193.
In Jacksonville, Jones will work as a backup for Trevor Lawrence.
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Jones started the first 11 games of the 2023 season, although backup Bailey Zappe finished lopsided losses to the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 1 and New Orleans Saints on Oct. 8.
With New England trailing the Indianapolis Colts by four points on Nov. 12, the Patriots sent Zappe onto the field for their final possession. New England lost 10-6. But even after that show of no confidence, the Patriots started Jones in their next game. But Zappe played the second half of the 10-7 loss to the New York Giants on Nov. 26.
With the Patriots owning the AFC’s worst record at 2-9, New England inserted Zappe into the starting lineup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 3. Zappe started the final six games of the season, with the Patriots winning twice, and Jones did not play again.
Jones joined New England from Alabama’s undefeated 2020 CFP national-championship team as the 15th selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In his first season, Jones completed 352-of-521 passes for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The Patriots posted a 10-7 record and went to the playoffs. Jones finished second in the voting for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and played in the Pro Bowl.
In his second season, Jones completed 288-of-442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. New England finished out of the playoffs at 8-9 as Jones missed three games because of an ankle injury.
In his third season, Jones completed 224-of-345 passes for 2,120 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Jones worked with Josh McDaniels as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator as a rookie. McDaniels left after that season to become the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. New England turned the play-calling duties over to former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in 2022. For 2023, the Patriots brought in Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to run the attack. But Jones’ passing-efficiency rating continued to drop, from 92.5 as a rookie to 84.8 in 2022 to 77.0 in 2023.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.