Many teams have been active in the quarterback market this offseason, but the Patriots didn’t need to. Mac Jones had an impressive rookie season, so the expectations are high ahead of his second year in the NFL.
New England selected the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the 2021 draft, and he didn’t let anyone down. Jones quickly won the job against Cam Newton and eventually led the team to its first playoffs since Tom Brady’s departure.
But as Patriots owner Robert Kraft said, this year will be very telling for Jones, who has to prove what’s his ceiling. Despite some people are concerned about the team’s changes this year, Jones is very optimistic with what he’s seeing.
Mac Jones sees signs of progress in 2022 Patriots
“In terms of team chemistry, I think we’ve made leaps and bounds there,” Jones said, via Patriots Wire. “As a rookie you come in, you’re kind of thrown in and everything —all the plates are hot, you know? So you kind of just try and find your feet.
“But now this past offseason and right now we’ve just built a great relationship with the offensive line, the receivers, hanging out together, just doing things together off the field because at the end of the day, we’re all friends, we work together, we want to play for one another.
“And that’s important to me. That’s why football is the best team sport, you can take a guy like Kendrick who brings energy every day, and then we have him over for a Hibachi party or something, so it’s just fun. Like, we always hang out and have fun and talk the talk and all that and it just builds for Sundays.”
With an entire season as a starter under his belt, Jones certainly heads into his second year knowing a thing or two about leading an NFL team. The Patriots are confident about his ability, but at some point he’ll have to prove how far he can take them.
