The relationship between New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones was not a strong one, to put it mildly. A new report from MassLive’s Mark Daniels suggests the pair did not get along, particularly in the 2023 season.
Jones struggled throughout the entirety of the campaign. He was benched in Week 12 against the New York Giants, and he never regained the starting role, as Bailey Zappe started in every game for the team the rest of the way.
The broken communication between player and coach was evident late in the season. After Week 12, Daniels noted that Belichick stopped speaking to Jones:
After Week 12, when Jones was benched, Belichick eventually stopped speaking to his quarterback. That lack of communication came to a head in the Patriots’ final game. It created an uncomfortable situation. Jones openly rooted for Zappe trying to show coaches he was handling his demotion maturely. However, behind closed doors, observers noted Jones had little support. It seemed like he was being shut out.
Despite Jones rooting for Zappe and his attempts to improve behind the scenes, he was still left in the cold. The greatest example of that was his demotion to third-string quarterback in the season finale against the New York Jets, which he didn’t find out about until 90 minutes before the game.
Even with all of the issues throughout the season, the Patriots haven’t completely closed the door on Jones returning in 2024. The quarterback could benefit from a fresh start under coach Jerod Mayo.
Things didn’t work under Belichick, and they continued to worsen as time passed. Now, Jones can finally look to turn the page to something better, wherever that may be.
