Patriots

Patriots sign Mac Jones to rookie contract, reportedly for 4 years, $15.6 million

The Patriots officially inked their first-round pick to a deal on Tuesday.

By Tom Westerholm

July 6, 2021

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The Patriots officially signed rookie quarterback Mac Jones to a contract, the team announced on Tuesday.

Terms of the deal were not announced, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones will earn a total of $15.6 million over the next four years. Jones has an option on the fifth year of his deal as well.

The Patriots selected Jones with the 15th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. Bill Belichick told reporters the rookie has gained the respect of his teammates already.

“I think Mac has a pretty good understanding of the things that we do,” Belichick said last month. “He has to go out there and do them and get comfortable with them. It’s a process. We’ve had a number of other players at that quarterback position come in and go through that. Sometimes, it starts a little slower and then picks up. Sometimes, it starts a little higher and slows down. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

“He’s working hard, he puts in a lot of time. Certainly giving his very best effort to do everything we’ve asked him to do and do it the way we’ve asked him to do it, which is a great place to start. He’s earned a lot of respect for that. But he has a long way to go. We’ll see how it goes.”

Jones threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions in his junior season at Alabama, completing 77.4 percent of his passes. The San Francisco 49ers reportedly considered drafting him with the third pick, but he slid to New England after the 49ers took Trey Lance.

“He has a swag to him that I didn’t know that he had at first,” Patriots receiver Kendrick Bourne said last week. “He’s out there confident, and that is what you need in a quarterback. Good energy, awesome guy, comes to work and you just can feel his energy and leadership already.”