Patriots quarterback Mac Jones "is not respected in New England," according to franchise legend and former tight end Rob Gronkowski.
"... He's not respected there," Gronkowski said Wednesday on the Up & Adams show. "I think Mac Jones should ultimately, even right now, should just go ask for his release. If you're talking to me about what he should do, ask for his release and then if it's granted, he should go sign with the Cleveland Browns and start a new career right then and there."
Kay Adams @heykayadams"He's not respected in New England.."<br><br>Gronk makes the case for Mac Jones to ask for his release and go to CLEVELAND. <a href="">
Jones' career in New England is up in the air after he was benched for the third time this season in a 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Germany on Sunday.
The embattled third-year quarterback said during an appearance on WEEI's Jones & Mego show (h/t Matt Geagan of CBS News) on Tuesday that he has not been told who will start New England's next game against the New York Giants after the bye week.
"No, we haven't talked about that," Jones said. "Really just, today we watched the game film and kind of talked about the plans for the bye week,. We have practice [Wednesday] so, just see how it goes there and the bye week is a great time to work on things that you can do better. So that's what I'm going to do."
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was also noncommittal on Jones starting against the Giants following his latest blunder.
"We have a lot of things to work on this week as a team. We'll work through those," Belichick told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday. "That's what we are going to do this week."
Additionally, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reported Wednesday that a "'vast majority' of players are done" with Jones.
"One team source estimated that at least 80% of the Patriots' locker room is out on Jones. Another said the 'vast majority' of players are done with him," Callahan wrote. "Both said the lack of belief spreads to both sides of the ball, with a shared sense that Jones' worst mistakes negate the best efforts of his teammates."
If Jones has truly lost the locker room, that's not a good sign for his chances of starting against the Giants. However, Bailey Zappe isn't a much better option, and New England's third-string is Will Grier, who couldn't win the third-string job in Dallas.
Jones had a solid rookie season before regressing in Year 2 under a mix of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge calling plays and leading the offense in New England. The Patriots hired Bill O'Brien as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2023 season in hopes Jones would return to form, but he has done anything but.
Through 10 games, the Alabama product has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,031 yards and 10 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, which is the second-worst mark in the NFL behind Josh Allen's 11 picks.
If New England's struggles continue, the Patriots (2-8) have a real opportunity to secure a top-five pick in the 2024 draft, which would give them a chance at selecting one of the top quarterbacks in USC's Caleb Williams or UNC's Drake Maye to replace Jones.
