Retired NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski wants to put an end to the notion that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones will end up playing elsewhere when the 2023 season kicks off.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced suggesting Bill Belichick is shopping Jones to multiple teams amid a possible fracture in the relationship between the coach and the quarterback.
According to Pro Football Talk, Belichick contacted multiple teams, including the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers and Commanders.
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Quarterback Mac Jones of the New England Patriots reacts after a play during the second half of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Dec. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)
“I think that was fake news,” Gronkowski said Wednesday during an appearance on FanDuel TV’s “Up & Adams” show. “There was just too much turnover this year.
“[Belichick] already got a new offensive coordinator [and quarterbacks coach Bill O’Brien] that he brought into place. Just the whole offensive staff was basically turned over this year, and then if you’re shipping your quarterback … that’s just too much turnover to have in the NFL in one season and to be able to compete the following year.
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The four-time Super Bowl winner then doubled down on his position, saying, “So, I don’t think that’s real news. I think that is fake news.”
Gronkowski conceded the 2023-24 season could be the last season Belichick and Jones are together in New England.
“But, in the future, if Mac Jones doesn’t put it together this year with Billy O’Brien and all that, I can see that being a possibility after this season,” Gronkowski said. “But I don’t think that was true over this offseason so far, and I gotta stamp that as fake news.”
Gronkowski spent nine years playing with the Patriots and Tom Brady. After stepping away from football in 2019, he came out of retirement and won his fourth title after joining Brady in Tampa Bay for the 2020 season.
Head coach Bill Belichick and Mac Jones during pregame at Hard Rock Stadium Sept. 11, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
NBC Sports’ Tom E. Curran reported Belichick was not pleased that Jones possibly went outside of the organization in an attempt to remedy the team’s offensive woes last season.
In February, Chris Simms of NBC Sports and son of former New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms, said Jones’ actions put him in Belichick’s “doghouse.”
Belichick has not yet publicly responded to the report, but he does not appear to be committed to the idea of Jones being the starting quarterback in 2023.
Mac Jones (10) of the New England Patriots attempts a pass during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium Jan. 8, 2023, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
“Everybody will get a chance to play. We’ll play the best player,” Belichick said at last week’s NFL owners meeting when asked if Jones and backup quarterback Bailey Zappe would compete for the starting role.
After a tumultuous season in which Matt Patricia switched from coaching the defensive side of the ball to calling the offensive plays in 2022, the Patriots brought Bill O’Brien back to New England to handle the offensive coordinator duties in 2023.
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O’Brien previously coached Jones when Jones quarterbacked the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2021. In the 14 games Jones played in last season, he completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
