Add the Patriots to the list of teams who will reportedly pass on a pursuit of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
According to Mark Daniels of Mass Live, the Patriots “aren’t expected to pursue” Jackson during free agency.
This signals that New England is comfortable continuing to build around third-year quarterback Mac Jones with new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. Although Jones had a down second season with the Patriots in comparison to his strong start as a rookie, many around the league attribute the decline to a lack of competence in the offensive coaching staff around Jones.
The Patriots lost former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the Raiders when he took over as the team’s head coach, and instead of replacing him with a tenured offensive coordinator, the Patriots instead had former defensive coordinator and Lions head coach Matt Patricia lead the offense last season.
That proved to be a disaster, as the Patriots struggled mightily on offense throughout much of the season.
As for Jackson, the acquisition price to land him, which would likely cost around $40-50 million per season plus two first round picks after Baltimore placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on him, looks to be too much for New England’s taste.
Instead New England will move forward with Jones and Bailey Zappe, who are both on rookie deals, and will spend money elsewhere around the quarterback position this offseason.
