Mac Jones wasn’t blindsided by the trade that sent him from the New England Patriots to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Actually, Jones saw it coming. 
Jones recently shared that he and the Patriots mutually agreed to part ways prior to the team sending him to the Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round pick. The trade ended his three-year run with the Patriots, a run that had its fair share of ups and downs.
“We kind of just decided the mutual parting of ways was the best decision for both of us,” Jones said from Jacksonville this week, via the Boston Herald. “For me, it was just about moving on and getting back home, and I couldn’t be more excited. And for them, it’s about moving forward and turning the page. So really, that’s what we decided, and I think it’s a great decision.”
While four teams were reportedly in the running, the Jaguars were the only team that gave the Patriots an offer for the former top-15 draft pick, per CBS Sports Lead NFL Insider Jonathan Jones.
The 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Jones was named to the Pro Bowl that season after helping lead the Patriots to their lone playoff appearance in the post-Tom Brady era. Jones and the Patriots regressed the next two years, however, with Jones getting benched during the second half of the 2023 season after going 2-9 as the team’s starter.
