Almost exactly three years ago, NFL icon Tom Brady left the New England Patriots. Heir to the throne Mac Jones has not been able to fully convince since then. After a disappointing preseason, he is even threatened with the bank. Meanwhile, competitor Bailey Zappe is already ready to be replaced.
Zappe stepped in last season when Jones was out through injury in week four. The rookie then won both games as a starting quarterback with the Patriots. The substitute was convincing across the board, which is why there were already calls for a changing of the guard at the time. Jones nevertheless took back the helm from week seven.
Apparently Zappe hasn’t written off his regular place yet. “If an opportunity comes my way, I’ll take it,” the playmaker told reporters on Wednesday. “I will do everything to help the team win.”
Ultimately, however, it is not just in his power to lead his team back onto the field from September. “That’s Coach Belichick’s decision, whatever he decides, but if the opportunity arises, I’ll be ready and I’ll take it,” Zappe announced confidently.
Jones is said to have been offered to other NFL teams
Mac Jones would certainly have gladly dispensed with Zappe’s declaration of war. The 24-year-old is already under a lot of pressure internally and externally. With head coach Bill Belichick, for example, the playcaller is said to have long fallen out of favor because he got help from an external consultant in the pre-season.
It is also striking that the Patriots coach fails to provide any support for Jones in interviews. At the NFL’s annual owners’ goal, Belichick cryptically said of his quarterbacks, “Everyone’s going to get a chance to play and we’re going to play against the best players.”
As several US media reports unanimously, Belichick Jones is said to have even offered to trade with several teams. As is well known, nobody has bitten.
