Mac Jones pens goodbye to Patriots and their fans after trade to Jaguars

The former first-round draft pick took to social media to release a statement.

The writing was on the wall, and last Sunday the New England Patriots finally pulled the plug on the Mac Jones era. The former first-round draft pick, who had lost his job as the team’s starting quarterback, was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.

The trade, which was made official on Thursday, was the final chapter in what was ultimately a disappointing three-year tenure. After showing considerable promise as a rookie, Jones failed to properly develop and eventually flamed out.

Nonetheless, the 25-year-old looks back fondly on his time in New England.

“The last three seasons with the New England Patriots are years I will cherish for the rest of my life,” Jones wrote in a goodbye letter shared on social media. “I will always be grateful for my time in New England and for the opportunity to start my career in the NFL.”

Jones arrived in New England as the 15th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, and promptly earned the starting position over incumbent Cam Newton. He played himself into the Offensive Rookie of the Year discussion that season, and helped lead the Patriots back to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

However, things started to unravel from that point on. Due to a variety of reasons — not all of which under his control — he developed into one of the league’s least efficient passers and a player seemingly devoid of any confidence in the pocket.

The result was him getting benched in favor of backup Bailey Zappe, and eventually getting shipped to Jacksonville. The Patriots, meanwhile, are expected to select a new quarterback as early as their third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Jones’ full statement reads as follows:

The last three seasons with the New England Patriots are years I will cherish for the rest of my life. I will always be grateful for my time in New England and for the opportunity to start my career in the NFL.

To Mr. Kraft and the Kraft family, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to make my dream of playing in the NFL come true. To Coach Belichick and all the coaches and support staff who helped me each and every day, including training, equipment, strength, video staff, and everyone in between, thank you for all that you did to help prepare me over the years. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.

To my teammates, it was an honor to play alongside you these last three seasons and I will always cherish the friendships that we built.

And finally, thank you to the fans for always showing up and supporting me and the Patriots. It has been a blessing to be a part of the Patriots organization and I will always have love for the New England community.

With that being said, I am thrilled to go home and to get to work in Duuuuval! Thank you to the Jacksonville Jaguars organization for the opportunity. Let’s go! #DTWD