If Mac Jones is available, could he fit Sean Payton?
Mar 8, 2024, 5:10 PM
Mac Jones made an impression on Sean Payton.
While Payton was still coaching the New Orleans Saints, he praised the then-Patriots rookie, who was in the midst of a standout campaign than ended with the Patriots making their only post-Tom Brady playoff appearance to date.
“I loved him coming out,” Payton said, as relayed by NFL on Fox’s Jay Glazer during an edition of Fox NFL Sunday early in the 2021 season.
“But as I saw him on film this week he makes really fast decisions, he’s hard for us to sack as a young quarterback, but it’s also gonna be hard for us to bait him into rookie mistakes.”
Fast decisions. That’s a key. In other words, being a quick processor. That’s the hardest trait to evaluate in a quarterback. It’s one Sean Payton demands of his papers. And it’s one Mac Jones might have.
Which is why the news that the Patriots could be open to trading Mac Jones has some relevance. Because while his performance hasn’t been great the last two seasons, he does have a skill set for the rhythm-and-timing aspects of Payton’s offense.
THE DATA ON MAC JONES SINCE 2021 HASN’T BEEN KIND
Whoever adds Mac Jones has a restoration task on their hands. Because simply put, Jones kept awful company during a 2023 season that was the worst of his career.
Among 32 quarterbacks with at least 300 total plays — pass attempts, rushing attempts and times sacked added together — Jones was 30th in expected points added per play, logging a minus-0.082 EPA/play figure.
His success rate of 44.5 percent wasn’t great either, but had a substantially better ranking — 23rd of 30. The slight discrepancy between the two shows that he is a bit better at keeping an offense on schedule than at making dynamic plays downfield.
And with a completion percentage over expected of minus-2.9 percent, Jones ranked 29th of those 32 quarterbacks.
But in 2021 — the year Mac Jones operated with Josh McDaniels as his play-caller in New England — his EPA/play of 0.123 was a respectable 14th of 31 quarterbacks with at least 300 plays. His success rate of 50.5 percent was 8th.
When McDaniels left for Las Vegas, so did Jones’ success. His EPA/play plummeted to -0.031 in 2022, good for 26th of 32 quarterbacks with at least 300 plays. His success rate of 41.3 percent was 29th. That was lousy, yes — but it was one spot ahead of Russell Wilson that season.
The viability of Mac Jones may well be tied to the right offense and play-caller. And it’s why Sean Payton and Jones might be a fascinating match, even if it likely won’t move the needle nationally.
