Jerod Mayo, the New England Patriots’ first head coach after Bill Belichick, praises struggling quarterback Mac Jones.
Jones, who has been the team’s primary signal caller since being selected 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, was benched four times last season as the Patriots went 4-13.
Mayo, the Patriots’ new head coach, stated that Jones’ work ethic has already impressed him.
“Mac Jones was in there working out,” Mayo told ESPN. “That attitude, that mentality of changing the page, is something that I hold high.”
Jones attended Mayo’s introduction news conference, along with other Patriots.
According to ESPN, Mayo will be open-minded when it comes to constructing his roster, both on the field and with the coaching staff.
“Mayo is leaving all possibilities open, saying he is in the evaluation stage at every position, including coaches,” noted ESPN’s Mike Reiss, adding that Mayo said of the quarterback decision, “Those guys,” referring to Jones and backup Bailey Zappe, “have things that they can do, and it’s about improving and developing.”
Belichick benched Jones four times during the 2023 season, and he finished with 11 starts.
The Alabama product passed for 2,120 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, and his 77.0 quarterback rating was 33rd in the league, trailing only struggling Jets starter Zach Wilson, who was 32nd.
Jones did not play a snap after the Giants defeated him 10-7 on November 26 and finished the season as the team’s emergency quarterback.
Zappe, the Patriots’ backup quarterback, started the final six games of the season.
Zappe, a fourth-round draft pick in 2022, has two years remaining on his contract, and his starts resulted in a 2-4 record, matching Jones’ victory total despite the differential in starts, however Zappe did appear in 10 games altogether, one fewer than Jones.
In 2023, Zappe had 1,272 passing yards, six touchdowns, and nine interceptions while completing only 60% of his throws and posting an even worse 68.7 quarterback rating.
Mayo served as New England’s insider linebackers coach from 2019 to 2023 before taking over as head coach.
Following a great playing career in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he transitioned to teaching.
The Patriots took Mayo with the 10th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he spent eight seasons with New England before retiring in 2015.
Mayo was a starting middle linebacker for the Patriots during their 2014 Super Bowl victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
However, Mayo only played six games that year and missed Super Bowl XLIX due to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, necessitating season-ending surgery.
Mayo’s career included two Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro selection, in addition to a Super Bowl ring.
He also won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2008.
