Mac Jones benched for fourth time this season, Bailey Zappe takes over for Patriots

Fourth time’s the charm?

With their season teetering toward collapse, the New England Patriots made a change at quarterback during a game for the fourth time this season.

At halftime of Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants, Mac Jones, the No. 15 overall selection from the 2021 NFL draft, was benched in favor of backup Bailey Zappe.

Jones threw two interceptions and failed to lead the offense to a score in the first half. He was visibly frustrated, at one point bumping into offensive lineman Mike Onwenu as he walked off the field.

In the first drive of the second half, Zappe led the Patriots to a touchdown. He was a perfect six-for-six for 38 yards on the drive.

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The move comes after the Patriots’ bye week, which followed the team’s ugly 10-6 loss against the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany.

Jones struggled in the game, throwing a costly interception late in the fourth quarter and otherwise making questionable decisions with the ball. Broadcast cameras at one point caught Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien excoriating Jones on the sideline after an offensive possession. Jones was benched following that interception, giving Zappe the chance to lead the potential game-winning drive inside the two-minute drill. Zappe moved the team toward midfield before he threw an interception on a fake spike.

Zappe also saw playing time in the Patriots’ blowout losses in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys and Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints, which ranked as the worst defeats of Bill Belichick’s career.

Jones has been New England’s starter for three seasons, since taking the job as a rookie. His best season was his first in Foxborough, when he beat veteran Cam Newton for the starting job and was named to the Pro Bowl. That season, Jones completed 67.6% of his throws for 3,801 yards, with 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 92.5.

Since then, Jones’ production has steadily declined as New England’s roster has thinned. This year, Jones is completing 65.4% of his passes for 2,031 yards, with 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His quarterback rating of 80.2 is a career-low. He had started each of the 41 games he appeared in since arriving to New England.

The move could signal the looming end of Jones’ tenure with the Patriots, as he’s set to enter the fourth and final season of his rookie contract in 2024. New England would have the right to exercise the fifth-year option in Jones’ contract, good for the 2025 season, but his recent performance may prevent the Patriots from doing so. The fifth-year option is fully guaranteed if the team exercises it, according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ association.

If New England decides, however, to move on from Jones, it could do so with a manageable dead cap number after the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Zappe was a fourth-round selection in 2022, appearing in seven games as a rookie, including a pair of starts as Jones was mending from a high-ankle sprain. Zappe flashed impressive performances at times, prompting questions from reporters about whether he had done enough to win the permanent job.

During his career, Zappe has completed 64.1% of his passes for 885 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions, giving him a quarterback rating of 87.

The Patriots are 2-8 and tied for the second-worst record in the NFL. The game against the Giants has massive implications for the order of the 2024 NFL draft.