Mac Jones Trade Details: Revisiting Winners and Losers From New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars Trade

The New England Patriots were hoping that Mac Jones would help extend the team’s Super Bowl window after the Tom Brady era.

After just three seasons, though, the Patriots have shipped the former 15th overall pick to his hometown team, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Today, we look back at the trade that kickstarted the Patriots’ rebuild and which team came away with the better deal.

Mac Jones Trade Details

On March 10, the Patriots concluded the three-year run of Mac Jones in Foxboro by shipping him to Jacksonville.

The full details can be seen below.

The Patriots received:

• 2024 sixth-round pick (QB, Joe Milton III)

The Jaguars received:

• QB, Mac Jones

Players Involved in the Jones Trade

It took two seasons for the Patriots to sour on Jones as a quarterback they could rely on to continue their championship ways. It took an additional year to finally move on from the Alabama product.

While no other veteran player was moved as part of the deal, the Jaguars did give New England the 193rd overall pick (a sixth-rounder) in April’s draft. The Patriots used that pick to draft Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton III.

In three seasons with the Volunteers, Milton threw for over 4,100 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He’s expected to be the Patriots’ third quarterback going into the 2024 season as a QB project with a big arm.

Like Milton, Jones is expected to be a backup quarterback in 2024. Jacksonville has their starting quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, and the Jaguars went 1-0 without him last season.

While Jones won’t be expected to hit the field, he is going to have to learn how to play the quarterback position the right way. There are plenty of QBs in the NFL who have hoped to be under the tutelage of Jacksonville’s offensive staff.

At the very least, 2024 will be a developmental year for both Jones and his replacement on the Patriots.

Who Won the Jones Trade?

There’s a very good chance that neither the Patriots nor the Jaguars come away with the best side of the trade.

On one hand, Lawrence has missed just one start throughout his NFL career. The idea that the Jaguars are looking to bolster their backup quarterback role simply means that the team is making sure all avenues are secured heading into the 2024 season.

Remember, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson won a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback.

The Patriots, though, drafted Drake Maye with the third overall pick. Milton isn’t expected to see the field at all.

If things go well for New England, Maye will be the team’s savior. Milton won’t see the field for the most part. Only a disaster of epic proportions could force the Tennessee product onto the field, but it’s hard to see the Patriots actually give him a chance to do that.

In that case, both Jones and Milton won’t be able to play consistently enough for this trade to give a full win out to any of these two teams.