It was a pretty wild offseason for New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones as rumors swirled that head coach Bill Belichick was shopping him to other teams. But despite the turmoil and the storylines, he’s almost surely going to be the team’s starting quarterback heading into the 2023 season – but Belichick didn’t commit to that when given the chance this week.
During a press conference this week, Bill Belichick was asked directly whether or not there was a quarterback competition between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, and Belichick seemingly declined to answer the question with much substance, simply saying that “everyone’s competing.”
“Everybody’s out here competing. All 90 guys. That’s what we’re all here for, to compete,” Belichick said according to Pro Football Talk. “Everybody’s out here competing. Everybody’s out here competing. That’s what everybody’s doing.”
Obviously, that’s a response typical of Belichick, but it’s worth noting that he had a chance to fully affirm that Jones was his starting quarterback and he actively chose not to. And people had plenty to say about that on social media.
That’s BB stock answer. No new here
— SCPatriots (@Patriots1970Sc) August 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/BOLTHYPE/status/1686382107126616065?s=20
Why does anybody even ask him questions anymore?
— David Crean (@dcrean) August 1, 2023
They are the same guy, switch numbers and no one would notice except they moms
— Luquan🏴☠️🫰🏽🍀 (@JerseyLv) August 1, 2023
https://twitter.com/prowlandgrowl/status/1686384450144473088?s=20
No one cares about 5-12 teams
— King LeLeBooBooBear enthusiast (@Lakers_in_fore) August 1, 2023
It would certainly be a surprise if Jones wasn’t the team’s starting quarterback to begin the season, but Belichick’s apparent refusal to declare Jones the team’s starter at this point is certainly interesting.
