Mac Jones arrived in Foxborough with big shoes to fill in as the New England Patriots were struggling to get over Tom Brady‘s departure. The Alabama product did great in his rookie year, but he still has a lot to prove.

The Patriots are once again trusting in Jones to lead their offense ahead of the 2023 NFL season, in which they hope to see serious improvement after a disappointing campaign last year.

It’s not an easy task for Jones, who has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Though he didn’t get to work closely with Brady, Jones says the 7x Super Bowl champion has been a great mentor for him anyway.

Mac Jones calls Tom Brady ‘a great mentor’

He’s definitely a legend. I have all the respect for him, he’s a great guy,” Jones said, via Karen Guregian of MassLive. “He’s actually helped me a lot already, just talking to him or whatever. He’s been a great mentor and stuff. He’s a great player.

“Love watching his film. … He pops up on game tape, obviously, from last year and everything, too. He’s always on the film doing the right thing so just trying to learn from him. He’s been awesome.

“I think whether it was [Brian] Hoyer that was here, whoever, you meet a lot of people that have known him and everything, and the stories … so that always helps,” Jones added. “Just being able to learn from that. He’s always on the film like I said, so just watching the football, the timing, his operation of everything. So he’s definitely the greatest to do it, and that’s why you want to watch him and learn.”

How many seasons did Tom Brady spend in New England?

Tom Brady spent 20 seasons with the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2019, when he left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When was Mac Jones drafted?

The New England Patriots selected Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.