Bill Belichick has strong response to question about Mac Jones

Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

There have been a lot of rumors this offseason about Mac Jones’ future with the New England Patriots, but Bill Belichick has finally put them to rest — sort of.

Belichick was asked at the NFL Draft on Friday about the report that the Patriots have shopped Jones in trade talks this offseason. While the coach said he is not going to address rumors from anonymous sources, he did finally offer a strong endorsement of Jones.

#Patriots coach Bill Belichick said he would "not respond to anonymous quotes" regarding reports the team was shopping Mac Jones. Belichick added he "absolutely" still feels the same way about Jones that he did last summer, when he was highly complimentary of the QB.

— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) April 29, 2023

Belichick had high praise for Jones all last offseason. That is why it was so noteworthy when the 70-year-old refused to name Jones his starting quarterback for 2023. However, Belichick said Friday that he “absolutely” still has the same feelings about Jones now that he had a year ago.

“Yeah, I mean, look, Mac’s been our quarterback for two years,” Belichick said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “As I tell the team every year, each player, each coach, we all have to re-establish and prove ourselves every year. That’s what this league is. That’s for all of us — ’23 is ’23. We’ll see how ’23 goes.”

The Patriots made a big change to their coaching staff this offseason, and that is one of the main reasons they are probably committed to Jones for at least another year.