NEWSLETTER
The 2024 NFL offseason quarterback carousel begins with a trade!
But it’s not the quarterback trade you probably had on your mind this morning.
The New England Patriots are reportedly trading quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars for what looks to be a sixth-round pick: ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the scoop:
Which one of you had a Mac Jones trade being what got the 2024 quarterback carousel spinning?
Once the trade becomes officially official when the new league year begins at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Jones, 25, will join fellow 2021 NFL Draft classmate Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.
While with the Jaguars as Lawrence’s backup, Jones gets an opportunity to hit reset on his career and re-enter the quarterback carousel at a later date. We saw this work (in a way) with Mitchell Trubisky, who left the Chicago Bears in 2021, took a backup role with the Buffalo Bills, parlayed being Josh Allen’s backup into a multi-year deal, and got a chance to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I imagine the Jaguars are trying to replicate that formula and possibly leverage it into netting a compensatory draft pick down the line. And depending on how the cookie crumbles, it could be better than the sixth-round pick they’re reportedly sending to New England in the deal.
As for the Patriots, they clear the path for a new quarterback to join the team in one way or another. Perhaps the Pats have a trade in the works. Maybe New England has a free-agent target in mind. Most likely, the Patriots will target whichever QB lands in their lap after two go off in succession with the first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
What does a Mac Jones trade mean for Justin Fields?
I am going to view every quarterback move this offseason through the lens of how it impacts the Chicago Bears. And because I wasn’t envisioning Mac Jones being the first quarterback traded this offseason, this one threw me for a loop. Although, I figured Jones entering the trade market would shake things up on that front. So I shouldn’t be too surprised that a deal got done. Ultimately, it leaves me trying to figure out what this means for Justin Fields’ trade market.
At first blush, I don’t love what this means for the Bears if they’re intent on trading Fields. Some of that feeling is rooted in reading this nugget from CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, who reports that the Jaguars had the best (and only) offer on the table for the Pats QB. But NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport says four teams were “in the mix” for Mac trade. This has me thinking that there *SHOULD* be a trade market for Fields if there was one for Jones. Maybe this trade sets the floor for a Fields deal. That doesn’t seem too far off — does it?
Perhaps patience should be the word of the day when it comes to following this saga.
I wonder if Mac Jones being the quarterback who gets the offseason carousel spinning is an indication of how the league (more specifically, teams in the market to trade for a QB) views Fields.
Is this the path the Bears will have to go if they want to draft Caleb Williams and give him a clean slate without another quarterback looking over his shoulder? Are they destined to settle for a return of a Day 3 pick for a quarterback they were viewing at this time last year as a potential franchise signal caller? Is the market so bleh right now that holding onto Fields until a later date when it can try to swing a Trey Lance type of trade during the preseason?
One question I think that will be asked is this: If the trade market for Justin Fields is this rough, and teams have already come calling about the No. 1 pick, is there a realistic deal to be made for that No. 1 pick? And a follow-up: Should the Bears take it? Or is Caleb Williams that great of a prospect that there isn’t a trade out there that would make the juice worth the squeeze?
A fascinating 2024 NFL season doesn’t officially open its doors until Wednesday at 3 p.m. Fasten those seatbelts, friends. We’re in for quite a ride.
