Patriots quarterback Mac Jones reportedly envied Jets signal-caller Zach Wilson when New England beat New York 17-3 in the season finale on Jan. 7.
Jones, whose future with the Patriots is uncertain after a disastrous losing season, found himself so frustrated with the Patriots’ lack of communication that he told a Jets staffer he appreciated how they handled Wilson’s situation, according to MassLive’s Mark Daniels, who cited a source on the field during pregame in Foxborough.
Jones was benched for backup Bailey Zappe at the time, and Wilson also lost his starting job to Trevor Siemian — but Jones reportedly hit a breaking point when he learned he was demoted to third-string quarterback behind Nathan Rourke just 90 minutes before kickoff.
“Jones privately lamented to locker room confidants that no one talks to him,” Daniels wrote.
Although Wilson had his own struggles, the Jets had been honest with the second-overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft — the same class in which New England picked Jones at No. 15.
After the Patriots-Jets season finale, The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported that the team informed Wilson they had plans to trade him this offseason when he was benched.
Jones reportedly found out he was a healthy scratch for Week 18 when the team released the inactive list — and his communication with former New England head coach Bill Belichick was non-existent by that point.
The 25-year-old initially lost his starting job to Zappe in Week 13 following a shutout loss to the Chargers 6-0 at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 3.
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After that, Jones worked hard inside Gillette Stadium — spending more time in the weight room, arriving early and leaving late — according to his teammates, who spoke with MassLive anonymously.
The Alabama product continued to regress in his third year with the Patriots, and had his fair share of turnovers and outbursts on the field.
Jones also faced allegations of being a “dirty player” for the second straight year when Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner accused him of hitting him in the groin in a loss to the Patriots in Week 3.
Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple also called out Jones for a controversial hit when his Bengals played the Patriots in December 2022.
Jones’ relationship with Belichick was “broken” by the end of the 2023 season — and it started to sour the season prior when Josh McDaniels was replaced at offensive coordinator by Matt Patricia, according to MassLive.
Belichick and the Patriots mutually parted ways four days after New England’s season-finale loss to the Jets — ending a historic 24-year run.
The Patriots finished this season at the bottom of the AFC East with a 4-13 record, the franchise’s worst since 1992.
Now, Jones’ future with the Patriots is uncertain under newly hired head coach Jerod Mayo.
Mayo was a Super Bowl champion linebacker across eight season with the Patriots, and rejoined the organization as the team’s linebackers coach under Belichick for the past five seasons.
Belichick’s services are available following two rounds of interviews with the Falcons — who announced Raheem Morris as their head coach on Thursday night.
Wilson’s future with the Jets is also up in the air after he failed to prove he could be a solid backup this season for Aaron Rodgers, who’s expected to be healthy for Week 1 after tearing his Achilles four plays into the season.
