After Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk reported Bill Belichick has been shopping quarterback Mac Jones in trade conversations this offseason, former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said he doesn’t buy it.
Gronkowski joined Kay Adams of the Up & Adams show to discuss the speculation around the third-year Patriots quarterback.
“I think that was fake news,” Gronkowski said. “There’s just too much turnover this year. I mean [Belichick] already got a new offensive coordinator that he brought into place. The whole offensive staff was basically turned over this year and then if you’re shipping your quarterback [off] that’s just too much turnover to have in the NFL in one offseason and compete the following year, so I don’t think that’s real news. I think that’s fake news.
“But in the future, if Mac Jones doesn’t put it together this year with [offensive coordinator] Billy O’Brien and all that, I could see that being a possibility after this season, but I don’t think that was true over this offseason so far and I’ve gotta stamp that as fake news.”
Following offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’s departure to Las Vegas where he took over as head coach, Jones struggled in his second year as New England’s starting quarterback. He was given a pass from outside observers considering he had a former defensive coordinator—Matt Patricia—calling the plays last season in a makeshift offensive staff cobbled together by Belichick. Jones completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,997 yards and 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 14 starts for New England last season.
As Gronkowski mentioned, this will be a critical year three for Jones with a proven offensive coordinator in O’Brien and better offensive coaching around him.
