With Mason Rudolph potentially on his way out of Pittsburgh and the Steelers needing competition, New England Patriots QB Mac Jones seems to be the latest quarterback available for the taking.
Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that Jones is expected to be shopped in the coming weeks as the Patriots set their sights on one of the top quarterbacks of the 2024 NFL Draft.
“Mac Jones, who lost the starting job this season and was demoted all the way to third-string in Bill Belichick’s final game, [is] a likely trade candidate in the weeks to come,” Pelissero said. “Good chance he ends up elsewhere.”
Of course, Steelers President Art Rooney II recently clarified comments that trading for a quarterback is “unlikely” to occur. But Jones won’t bring the high price tag the Chicago Bears’ Justin Fields is likely to fetch. The Patriots are starting off with a new regime, closing the book on the Belichick era. Jones is coming off a miserable third season, throwing just 10 touchdowns to 12 interceptions and repeatedly getting pulled and benched before being sat for good to close out the season. His value has never been lower. Rooney’s comments carefully ruled out a “blockbuster” trade and a deal for Jones almost certainly wouldn’t qualify as one.
Jones had a strong rookie season, making the Pro Bowl (as an alternate) after throwing 22 for touchdowns and completing more than two-thirds of his passes. The Patriots went 10-7 and made the playoffs. Jones’ 22 touchdowns as a rookie and 14 as a sophomore in 2022 are more than Kenny Pickett’s thrown in his two combined seasons. And if the Steelers were high on Jones coming out of Alabama, perhaps they still have interest now. Pittsburgh was all over the Crimson Tide’s 2021 Pro Day, though that was also for RB Najee Harris, their first round selection.
Of course, the idea of Pickett vs. Jones isn’t an enthralling camp battle. But the alternative is Ryan Tannehill or some other veteran equivalent competing with Pickett this summer. The alternatives aren’t much better. They won’t cost draft capital a trade would but they’d also be more expensive than Jones’ rookie deal base salary. Jones does have his fifth-year option due by May and whichever team rosters him will decline it, making him a free agent after 2024. It makes Jones a short-term play but will also reduce trade compensation.
Ultimately, Jones is unlikely to become a Steeler. But for a team like Pittsburgh in the marker for an outside arm, he’s a name to add to the list and an option who seems more realistic than a costly choice like Fields. Trade talk around the league should heat up at the NFL Scouting Combine, which kicks off later this month.
