Patriots

Patriots reportedly think Mac Jones is in a ‘good spot’ with Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator

"They believe there will be no excuses."

Mac Jones speaking to reporters on May 31, 2023. AP Photo/Steven Senne

June 2, 2023

It will be months before there’s any meaningful measurement of newly installed Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s impact, but an early report has signaled that things may be off to a good start.

One of O’Brien’s most important tasks will be getting third-year quarterback Mac Jones back on track after a difficult 2022 season. After throwing 22 touchdown passes as a rookie, Jones’s tally fell to just 14 last season. Most of his other meaningful stats — completion percentage, passing yards, quarterback rating — all declined as well.

To help restore that, Bill Belichick cleared out the offensive coaching leadership of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge (though Judge remains on staff in an as-yet undefined special teams role), replacing the duo with a more traditional coordinator in O’Brien.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the initial news is positive.

“I talked to somebody close to Jones in New England and he said that [Jones] is throwing the ball well, showed up in good shape, and he’s been in good command of the offense,” said Fowler during a Friday morning appearance on SportsCenter. “The Patriots really believe that they’re in a good spot here with the offensive identity under Bill O’Brien. Didn’t have much of that last year.

Fowler noted that on top of O’Brien, New England added wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“With the weapons that they already had, they believe there will be no excuses,” said Fowler. “They can ball and put up some offense this year.”

Still, while the Patriots made some additions in the offseason, there was also a notable departure. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, Jones’s favorite target since he’s been in New England, left for the Raiders as a free agent.

How the Patriots work around Meyers’s exit, as well as the new offensive system, remains to be seen as the offseason continues to build towards training camp.