Patriots to trade QB Mac Jones to Jaguars, send former top-15 pick back to his hometown for sixth-rounder

Mac Jones‘ time with the New England Patriots has run out. New England is finalizing a deal to trade the former Pro Bowl quarterback to the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to ESPN and confirmed by CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. 

Jacksonville had the best — and only — offer for Jones as of Saturday, per Jones, who added that the Jaguars will give New England a six-round pick in order to acquire Jones, who returns to his home town to serve as Trevor Lawrence’s backup. 

The Patriots trading Jones shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Jones was benched late in the 2023 season as his play has regressed since his 2021 rookie season. Rumblings about the Patriots possible trading Jones started to ramp up in the days leading up to Super Bowl LVIII. 

New England also has the No. 3 overall pick in April’s draft and has been linked repeatedly to LSU’s Jayden Daniels, CBS Sports’ fifth-ranked draft prospect and second-ranked quarterback behind USC’s Caleb Williams. 

Jones was a Pro Bowler during a rookie season that included a playoff berth for the Patriots. But as the Patriots went into decline, so, too, did Jones, who threw nearly as many interceptions (23) as touchdown passes (24) over the past two seasons. He will now look to carve out a role for himself in Jacksonville.