Patriots’ Trent Brown likes social media post about replacing Mac Jones with Tom Brady, Jimmy Garoppolo
Mac Jones’ second season with the Patriots didn’t go as planned, and it appears some of his teammates are losing faith in him.
Case and point, Trent Brown’s Instagram page.
It was noted on Tuesday that Brown, the Patriots’ starting left tackle, had a rather unusual posting with his account. Specifically, it was an ESPN graphic in which Bill Barnwell stated that New England should pursue Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback during the 2022 NFL offseason.
Something you don’t see everyday: Starting offensive tackles publicly support replacing his current QB.#Patriots Trent Brown liked a post saying the team should replace Mac Jones with Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo. pic.twitter.com/cgaCvNIS1o
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 20, 2022
Some will note that Brown has played with Brady and Garoppolo before, so he can only support each before big free-agent decisions. It could also be an indication that he’ll want to join Brady or Garoppolo wherever they end up — if the Patriots release him after this season.
But most of all, Brown’s love seems to signal that he’s not happy with Jones’ play so far for the 7-7 Patriots.
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It’s easy to understand why that frustration is now surfacing. The Patriots are coming off a loss in which they committed one of the worst plays in NFL history to allow the Raiders to win.
Jones did not play well during that contest as he completed just 13 of 31 passes for 112 yards, good for an average of 3.6 yards per attempt. That continued his trend of poor outings in 2022, and his stats show he was one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks this season.
| Stat | Total | Rank |
| Comp. % | 65.8 | 15th |
| Passing meter | 2 310 | 23rd |
| Pass TDs | 7 | 31st |
| INTs | 8 | 13th |
| Yards per attempt | 6.9 | 22nd |
| Grading | 82.6 | 29th |
| QBR | 30.7 | 32nd |
| PFF grade | 64.3 | 29th |
Of course, it is important to note that Jones has been placed in an untenable situation. Bill Belichick hired Matt Patricia – a former defensive coordinator for the team – as Jones’ top player in place of Josh McDaniels, while former special teams coordinator Joe Judge is his quarterbacks coach.
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Additionally, the protection in front of Jones has deteriorated, as the Patriots have allowed 33 sacks in 2022 compared to just 28 the previous season. Their sack time of 2.3 seconds is also tied for the fourth-worst mark in the league.
Sure, some of the blame for that falls on Jones. He needs to show better pocket presence and an understanding of when to release the ball to avoid pressure.
But Brown allowed eight sacks — third most among NFL tight ends — while committing a league-high 11 penalties at the position; so, he is not blameless for the offense’s struggles.
Either way, Brown’s Instagram activity appears to show that tensions are boiling over within the Patriots’ offense. Fans have seen it on the field in recent weeks, with Jones expressing outward frustration with Patricia’s play-calling; now it manifests on social media.
MORE: Chandler Jones breaks Mac Jones’ stiff arm on Raiders’ game-winning play
We’ll soon see if the Patriots can figure things out as they look to make a final postseason push. But as it stands, they will likely need a major offensive overhaul during the 2023 offseason.
