MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 11: Head coach Bill Belichick and Mac Jones #10 look on during pregame at Hard Rock Stadium on September 11, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Now that Bill Belichick is officially moved on from the New England Patriots, a lot of the juicy details about his fractured relationship with Robert Kraft are beginning to spill out.

And this, so far, may be the juiciest detail of all.

According to rumors that have been swirling from behind-the-scenes in Foxborough, Belichick actually had a deal in place to trade Mac Jones during the offseason. The plan, according to the report, was for Belichick to move Jones and pursue former first-overall pick Baker Mayfield as the next quarterback of the Patriots. Bill even had a deal in trade set up to put his plan in motion.

However, Belichick’s trade attempt was eventually vetoed by Robert Kraft and company, forcing the Pats to stick with Jones… And we all know how that worked out.

While these may just be rumors for now, it’s usually the case that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Jones had a disastrous 2023 campaign in New England, throwing for just 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 starts, while getting benched on multiple occasions. Jones remains under contract with the Patriots, and there’s still no word on what the new regime plans to do with him.

New head coach Jerod Mayo has already made it pretty clear that he plans to use the third-overall pick in the upcoming 2024 draft on a quarterback.

Does that mean the Pats plan to move on from Jones completely and trade him this offseason? If so, you can’t help but wonder how much better their return package would have been had they just listened to Belichick one year earlier.