Patriots insider shuts down 'nonsense' reports of Bill Belichick-Mac Jones rift

The New England Patriots are putting their faith in Mac Jones.

Amidst reported tension between the young quarterback and head coach/de-facto general manager Bill Belichick, NBC Sports recently reported that the Patriots were shopping Jones around the league.

Tom Curran said the tension stemmed from Jones attempting to go behind Belichick's back and have offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels ousted, which did not sit well with the multiple-time champion.

But now the Boston Herald's Andrew Callahan reports that the Patriots have denied shopping Jones, specifically calling it "nonsense":

Only time will tell if Jones stays on for 2023, but if he does, he has a lot to prove to Belichick and owner Robert Kraft.

If Mac Jones is indeed moved, what are the Patriots' options at quarterback?

Bailey Zappe

But assuming the Patriots do decide to move Jones halfway into his rookie deal, they have a bevy of options, per CBS Sports.

One option would be to fully commit to Bailey Zappe (pictured above), who became the first rookie signal-caller in the Super Bowl Era to win his first two starts and post a passer rating of at least 100.0. This briefly caused a positional controversy, but ultimately New England stuck with Jones.

Another option would be to get the San Francisco 49ers' Trey Lance. With Brock Purdy having proven himself and Sam Darnold looking for redemption, Lance may be in the hot seat, and joining a new team may preclude that.

If all that fails, the Patriots can look to the draft. They have the 14th overall pick, and while Bryce Young and CJ Stroud may be off the board by then, the likes of Will Levis and Hendon Hooker may still be available.