New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was seemingly a part of what drew receiver DeVante Parker to the team.
The Miami Dolphins may have traded Parker to the Patriots — a situation where players don’t usually have a choice — but the receiver said he “chose to get traded” to New England, which Dolphins GM Chris Grier confirmed.
So what drew Parker to the Patriots?
It sounds like the QB was a factor. And Parker got right to work with Jones. The receiver flew down to Florida just hours after passing his physical, so he could work out with Jones and receivers Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, among others.
“He’s got a nice arm on him. A little zip in it,” Parker said of Jones on Thursday during a videoconference call. “It was just a great workout for all of us. It’s just good for me to start throwing with him early and get the timing down.”
Parker added: “The way he throws the ball — it’s not tough. He throws a catchable ball. … It’s something I’m looking forward to in the season.”
He had the best season of his career under former Dolphins offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, who modeled his system after the Patriots after coming up under Bill Belichick as an offensive coaching assistant. That sounded like another factor for Parker
“The offenses, yeah — they’re very similar. I think the offense helps everyone out a lot, with the way they can move you around and things like that. And it’s just something I’m looking forward to,” Parker said.
Surely, New England is hoping they can get Parker back to the form he had in 2019 when he logged a 72 catches for 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns.
