The departure of Tom Brady has inevitably left a huge vacancy in Foxborough. In 2020, the Patriots faced themselves with one of the toughest decisions in more than two decades, having to replace the man who took New England to new heights.
Two years later, the Patriots seem to be optimistic about the future under Mac Jones, who made quite an impression in his rookie season. The Alabama Crimson Tide product won the job shortly after he was drafted and he made sure of proving Bill Belichick right in his decision to name him starter ahead of Cam Newton.
Jones may have had his ups and downs but overall it was not a bad year for a rookie, especially for the quarterbacks of his class. In 2022, however, there will be little margin for error as the Patriots want to see how far he can take them.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft suggests this year could be crucial for Mac Jones
“This year will be very telling,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, per Jeff Howe of The Athletic. “To come into something as new as this, as established, I think he got beat up pretty bad, and he kept coming back and getting up and really doing some great stuff.
“Just the way he handles himself, he took some real beatings and hopped up. He has developed a good relationship with the whole cadre of receivers. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen. But this is a big year, the second year.”
Mac Jones finished 2021 with 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. The Patriots have gone unbeaten for several weeks, he showed a lot of maturity for a player of his age but couldn’t finish the season strongly.
New England lost three of its last four games, including a defeat to Miami in the regular season finale and then suffered a brutal loss to Buffalo in the Wild Card. Jones has made completely normal mistakes for a rookie but he also gave reasons for optimism, so this could be a big year for his future.