As New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones enters his second year, coaching changes have been a major theme of this offseason.
Josh McDaniels was one of the more significant changes, as he took the head coaching position with the Las Vegas Raiders. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McDaniels touched on how he thinks Jones is handling changes in the coaching staff.
McDaniels departure was not the only big move. The Patriots hired Joe Judge as an offensive assistant. Matt Patricia will take on a role on offense as well.
Despite the movement, McDaniels remains confident in Jones’ ability to adjust, as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston’s Tom E. Curran.
“With the rules such as they are now, we can’t work with them anyway until we get to late April and the end of May,” Josh McDaniels said during the AFC Coaches Breakfast at The Breakers. “Then you get a handful of weeks to work with them then they’re off on their own again. So I think the way the rules are, you’ve got to do a lot of work on your own anyway.
“And I think for a lot of young players, if you can digest that and understand, ‘I have a lot of responsibility to improve myself. I can’t just wait for somebody else to do it,’ I think that’s a big thing. And I’m sure Mac is doing that as we speak.”
Jones passed for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 2021. He will have his work cut out for him, as the AFC in particular has a plethora of talented quarterbacks. As he heads into his second year, development will be important, as the Patriots look for him to take another step in his development.
