Las Vegas Raiders: Ranking every 2023 starting quarterback in the AFC
By Jason Willis
Las Vegas Raiders: Ranking every 2023 starting quarterback in the AFC
- 12. Mac Jones (New England Patriots)
The chosen successor to Tom Brady in New England, Mac Jones had Patriots fans and many analysts convinced of such after his rookie season. With 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns, he earned himself a Pro Bowl nod and returned the team to the playoffs.
Unfortunately for Jones, the Patriots threw a wrench in his development when they refused to properly replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Instead, the tandem of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge got to handle the offense that finished bottom ten in the league in yards per game.
In an effort to rectify the issue, Bill Belichick has again hired another former assistant coach. This time, it will be Bill O'Brien who gets a second go-around with Jones after helping him to a near Heisman-winning campaign as his offensive coordinator at Alabama.
With competence at play caller, the Patriots have strengthened the skill positions, if only slightly. Juju Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki are high-variance players certainly, but they still represent upgrades over the rest of the group.
Overall, Jones is not a supremely talented quarterback. In a Tom Brady-less league, he is the zenith of pure pocket-passers in the NFL today. Since the ceiling on that type of player is so limited, he cannot rank much higher on this list. Regardless, he can still lead a functional offense in the right situation and the Patriots are much closer to that this season than they were last.