Those who report and write on the NFL just can’t help themselves when it comes to Mac Jones.
He was a popular choice for digital trade blocks throughout the offseason, and for good reason. Jones had clearly fallen out of favor with the new regime in New England . Reports of the Patriots shipping Jones to Jacksonville dropped on March 10, three days before the start of the new league year. The Pats were so eager to be done with the Mac Jones Experience that they dealt the former No. 15 overall pick for a sixth-rounder in return.
Five months later, now comfortably settled in as the backup quarterback for Trevor Lawrence, Jones is mystifyingly showing up in trade fodder once again.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently posted his 2024 NFL Trade Block Big Board entering Week 1 of the season, and as expected, he couldn’t help himself. Jones was mentioned alongside a pretty lengthy writeup, with his potential suitors being the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants .
Here was Knox’s take:
The Jacksonville Jaguars won't be actively looking to move backup quarterback Mac Jones early in the season. Teams with playoff aspirations are wise to keep a capable QB2 on the roster, and the 2021 first-round pick is the only understudy to Trevor Lawrence they currently have.
Veteran backup C.J. Beathard was released with an injury settlement during final roster cuts.
If, however, a team loses its starting quarterback and becomes desperate for a signal-caller, Jacksonville could cash in big-time. Jones was a rookie Pro Bowler for the New England Patriots, and he played extremely well for Jacksonville this preseason.
The Jaguars might not expect a massive haul for the 25-year-old since he's entering the final year of his rookie contract, but desperation could lead to a team offering up a Day 2 draft selection or a capable player for him.
Let’s be real here: The Jaguars aren’t trading Mac Jones unless they get an offer so laughable they have to do it.
He put together a solid rookie season with the Patriots before things went off the rails in Foxboro. In Year 2, his offensive coordinator changed from Josh McDaniels to a former defensive coordinator in Matt Patricia. Joe Judge, whose career highlights came on special teams (along with some major lowlights as head coach of the Giants), was inexplicably named the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach that year. The Patriots tried to reshuffle the deck with Bill O’Brien taking over the offense in Year 3, but the damage was done. Jones was staring down the rush behind an atrocious offensive line, and he had no one at the skill positions to bail him out of trouble. It was a disaster. The change of scenery in Duval County could wind up saving Jones’ career .
He looked like his old self during the preseason, posting the highest passer rating in the NFL among qualifying passers at 115.9. And the best part of this situation for the Jaguars? He’s cheap. After declining Jones’ fifth-year option, his cap hit is on the low end when compared to top backup quarterbacks around the league. That’s not even mentioning the pennies it took to acquire the former Pro Bowler in the first place.
What would it realistically take to pry Jones out of Jacksonville? Something like a third- or fourth-round pick? The value coming back to the Jaguars would have to move the needle for them to even consider a trade. And the more you dig in on this, the less likely that seems.
Let’s use the Raiders hypothetical as an example. Gardner Minshew has Vegas in the playoff hunt before suffering a season-ending injury. The Raiders could take a run at Jones … or they could just hand the ball to Aiden O’Connell, who they drafted in the fourth round in 2023, has been in the system for more than a year, and appeared in 11 games last year as a rookie.
The Giants scenario makes even less sense. They signed Drew Lock to a 1-year, $5 million deal in free agency. That's more than the Jaguars are paying Mac this season. If Daniel Jones were to get injured, prompting the Giants to trade for Mac … he would likely arrive in East Rutherford as the backup to Lock. The player the Giants brought in as insurance for that very scenario. The pieces just don't fit together here.
Knox made a good point: It would take a desperate situation for a team to pony up the assets it would take to acquire Mac Jones from the Jaguars during the 2024 season. Realistically, Jones gets a chance to revitalize his career in Duval before hitting free agency in 2025.
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