Which New England Patriots quarterback nearly set an NFL completion percentage record in his rookie year?

For many years, the New England Patriots were regarded as the ideal NFL franchise and a model for how a professional sports team should be run. At center, they had a Hall of Fame-caliber leader in Tom Brady. They had (and continue to have) the greatest and most successful coach in NFL history, Bill Belichick, and, most importantly, a winning culture. Those days are long gone. But that doesn't mean the Patriots don't make some noise every now and then.

Mac Jones is the New England Patriots quarterback that nearly set an NFL completion percentage record in his rookie year. Jones was a mere 0.02% away from setting the highest completion percentage by a rookie QB record. He did so while throwing QB passes at a revolving door of Patriots receivers and tight ends and adjusting to the unique New England playbook.

That's not all; the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and the fifth quarterback selected joined an elite club of rookies to have 3,500-plus passing yards and 20-plus passing touchdowns in their NFL debut season, just the 10th in league history. He also rounded off the season by being selected to his first-ever Pro Bowl game as a reward for his stellar season.

How has Mac Jones performed in his NFL career thus far?

Mac Jones has had an ideal start to his NFL career, and he was this close to winning the offensive rookie of the year award, just losing out to Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver, Ja'Marr Chase. Jones helped lead the New England Patriots to their first postseason since losing Tom Brady in the 2019 offseason, and for a second, he had Patriots fans dreaming of another dynasty. He finished his rookie season with 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 17 games.

Jones, on the other hand, regressed in his sophomore season, failing to put up numbers comparable to his rookie season. Jones seemed off all season, as he never got going and showed obvious signs of frustration on the Patriots bench. He had some good games and some that were just bad.

He got benched for Bailey Zappe at some point, only getting his starting nod back during the next tricky fixture. Jones put up a stat line of 2,997 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions for the 2022 NFL season. All of which were career lows for the Alabama Crimson Tide alum.