Not long ago, Robert Kraft told me part of his job was to be a peacekeeper of sorts, and “keep it together” when it came to himself, his head coach and starting quarterback.
At the time, the Patriots owner was speaking about Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and how his relationship with them was like a marriage. He was a pseudo counselor, making sure they could all co-exist and find a sense of harmony and kumbaya between them.
Kraft managed to keep that union intact for 20 years mostly because it behooved him to do so given all the success they enjoyed together. But eventually, there was a divorce. Brady left the group, believing Belichick no longer wanted him based on the type of contracts he kept getting offered year after year.
We’re heading into Year 3 with Mac Jones and, already, it’s gotten messy. There are rumblings of unrest all around and signs there could be another divorce as none of the Big Three (Kraft, Belichick, Jones) seem to be on the same page.
Talk about a Bermuda Triangle. Belichick appears to be at odds with both Kraft and Jones. Kraft, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to be aligned with Belichick, and says he loves Jones.
As for Jones, while he’s entrenched with the owner, there’s clearly friction between him and Belichick.
During the week, in fact, there was a report that Belichick might want to trade Jones, or has at least made a few inquiries to that end.
Why would he want to jettison his 2020 first-round draft pick?
Simply because he can’t get past his quarterback reaching outside the organization for help last season, which, in his view, undermined the coaching staff. Kraft, meanwhile, would likely veto any trade involving Mac. He is an unabashed fan of Jones and likes having a quarterback on a rookie deal.
But what if Jones wants out? His head coach doesn’t appear to be very fond of him, and put him in a dubious position last year with two coaches who had never run an offense.
All of which begs the million-dollar question: Assuming there’s no trade, is this even remotely fixable?
Can the chasm between Belichick and Jones be repaired, just for starters?
Speaking with several former players, two of whom were with the Patriots for all or parts of last season, they believe it can be salvaged, but the first step is having Belichick and Jones come together to reach an accord.
James White, who retired just before the season, and Devin McCourty, who retired after the season played out, are fairly certain Belichick will initiate a conversation with Jones before too long, if it hasn’t happened already.
They have faith the head coach and quarterback will get to a better place for the good of the team.
Ted Johnson, meanwhile, isn’t so sure of that narrative playing out. He can’t see Belichick getting past being crossed by Jones last season. Knowing Belichick, the former Patriots linebacker and host of “The Sunday Football Show” on The Sports Hub (98.5) doesn’t believe there will be a detente, even if he lists it as the top priority for the team going forward.
That said, Belichick might just have to bury the hatchet given the owner’s stance, not to mention giving himself the best shot of having a better season than last.
“For me, I’m confident that’s already happened because in my opinion, it’s in the best interest of both parties,” said White, who has been a regular on SiriusXM NFL radio. “(Belichick) probably had a conversation with Mac, but he’s not going to tell that to the media. He wants everybody to make their own guess about what’s going on. He’s not going to give you much.”
That almost goes without saying.
But here’s the bottom line: Belichick preaches accountability from the players. That flips back in his direction as well. He needs to acknowledge he messed up, too. He was largely responsible for last year’s disaster, putting two coaches with no experience running an offense in charge. A mea culpa would go a long way toward righting the ship. Or, at the very least, Belichick needs to meet Mac halfway.
“Maybe they’ve already gotten on the phone and talked. And, all of this is nothing,” said McCourty. “But because this stuff has been repetitive, it seems like you’re probably going to have some type of conversation. You have to (address it). If not, I think that makes it really hard on your season, not just for them, but the whole locker room. You can’t have that continue on. To me, it’ll set the team back.”
Johnson, meanwhile, believes getting Belichick to apologize, and also forgive Jones for his sins, is a longshot to happen at best. He thinks Belichick is more inclined to continue to put Mac in his place, as opposed to admit he wronged his quarterback.
“What Mac did, the public displays of insubordination, going behind Bill’s back, speaking with coaches in Alabama, I almost think that was a bridge too far for Bill,” said Johnson. “It’s almost irreparable. I don’t know if Bill can overcome it. He’s vindictive, and that’s the deepest cut of all.”
And yet, if Jones isn’t traded, and remains the starter, it doesn’t seem like a recipe for success if Belichick isn’t willing to start over with the quarterback and wipe the slate clean.
Johnson said he’s seen Belichick mend fences with players in the past. He’s seen Bill extend an olive branch. He’s just not sure it’s going to happen this time out.
“That relationship has to be fixed. Fences have to be mended,” said Johnson. “The one person that can do it right away, and put an end to a lot of the dysfunction, is Bill. It just doesn’t look like Bill has any desire to do that with Mac.
“But that’s priority No. 1. And it’s gotta happen sooner rather than later if they want to have any kind of successful season.”
Currently, it looks more like Belichick is going the route of trying to light some kind of fire under Mac, by continuing to rub salt in the wound, as opposed to forging a better path to co-exist.
Case in point, Belichick has refused to endorse Jones as his starter at every turn. He’s hinted at a quarterback competition between Jones and Bailey Zappe, even with Kraft expressing his fondness for Jones as the starter.
Perhaps new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien can cut past all the noise, and get Jones back on track. After all, O’Brien will be spending the most time with Jones.
White envisions that scenario playing out. He believes Jones will be the starter going forward, and will get the desired push competing with Zappe, along with having O’Brien constantly in his ear.
“Zappe came in and played well during that short period of time, but I think Mac gives them the best opportunity to win this upcoming season, especially with Bill O’Brien coming in,” White said. “A guy who’s been there, coached the Patriots, coached Alabama, has a proven track record of developing quarterbacks. I think that’s a sense of motivation for Mac, especially having a guy (Zappe) right there on your hip that people want to see more of.
“That’ll either make you, or break you. I think it’s going to make him,” the three-time Super Bowl winner went on. “He’s a fired-up guy. You could tell last year he was frustrated. I’m sure he wants to play better for himself and his team. I think having Billy O will help that.”
Time will tell.
McCourty hasn’t done extensive study on the draft, and has no idea what direction the Patriots are headed.
But he wouldn’t be surprised if the team’s first-round pick is an offensive tackle. McCourty recalled how the Patriots drafted Nate Solder in the first round when Matt Light was nearing the end of his run at left tackle, and the Pats weren’t necessarily locked in at right tackle. He sees a similar situation with Trent Brown and the rest of the tackle group.
White, meanwhile, also sees tackle as a possibility for the Pats first pick, but wouldn’t be surprised if it was a cornerback.
“If not tackle, I see them going on the defensive side. Probably a corner,” he said. “I think that’s the glaring weakness in all positions.”
Whether it’s Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, or Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., White thinks the Pats would be happy if they were able to snag one from that trio.
“I think any one of them could come in right away and make an impact,” said White. “They need a guy who can play on the outside and make an impact right away.”
That said, Belichick still loves to keep everyone guessing.
“None of us ever really know what position they’re going to take,” said McCourty. “But they’ll have one player they fall in love with, and that’s who they’re going to take in the first round.”
It appears Tyreek Hill already has an exit strategy.
The Miami wide receiver, who signed a massive contract when the Dolphins acquired him via trade last offseason, revealed his retirement plans during a radio interview Wednesday.
Speaking on Sports Radio 810 WHB, Hill told former Chiefs teammates Anthony Sherman and Gehrig Dieter that he’s looking to retire after the 2025 season.
“I’m going for 10 (NFL seasons), man,” Hill said. “I’m gonna finish out this contract with the Dolphins and then I’m gonna call it quits. I want to go into the business side. I want to do so many things in my life, bro.”
After joining the Dolphins, Hill signed a four-year, $120 million extension that would take him through the 2026 season. The Fins, however, reportedly have an out after the 2025 season that would allow them to save $45 million, rather than absorb a $56 million cap hit.
It’s always an honor and privilege to be included in the Patriots Hall of Fame nomination process. Thursday marked our annual meeting.
While details of the discussion of the candidates can’t be disclosed, committee members provided compelling cases for a slate that included Logan Mankins, Mike Vrabel, John Smith, Wes Welker, Lawyer Milloy, Bill Parcells, Chuck Fairbanks, Mosi Tatupu, Russ Francis, Julius Adams and Pete Brock.
Having Ernie Adams and Dante Scarnecchia offering their insights on many of the candidates was priceless. It’s interesting to hear many of their stories regarding the players, along with their assessments.
And having Patriots owner Robert Kraft crash the meeting to inform Scarnecchia that he would be a Class of 2023 inductee as a contributor was special to witness.
The honor was richly deserved for the longtime Patriots assistant. And, catching up with Mankins Friday, he was thrilled for his former line coach.
“It’s completely deserving. I can’t think of anyone else that’s been part of that organization for so long, that’s done so much for it,” said Mankins. “Everyone there loved him and respected him, no matter if he was yelling at you, or praising you. You still had the utmost respect for the man. I was very fortunate to play for him, and owe a lot of my success to him.”
Mankins, of course, is a strong candidate to be one of the three finalists for his second straight year.
While the arguments for Milloy and Parcells were convincing, my finalist ranking went like this: 1. Mike Vrabel. 2. Logan Mankins. 3. Wes Welker.
The Patriots will tabulate all the votes from the 24-member committee, and release the three finalists for fans to vote on Thursday.