Patriots’ Trent Brown ‘likes’ post about replacing Mac Jones

Trouble in New England?

Patriots left tackle Trent Brown was caught liking an Instagram post that suggested New England should replace quarterback Mac Jones – whom the team drafted No. 15 overall in 2021 – with either Tom Brady or 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, according to screengrabs shared on Twitter.

ESPN’s NFL account had shared a quote from writer Bill Barnwell that suggested New England may consider moving on from Jones after just two years as the starting quarterback.

“The Patriots have to at least call Brady’s people to inquire whether he would like to return to New England to finish out his career,” the quote on the post read. “They could also pursue Garoppolo.”

Both Brady and Garoppolo have played in New England before, Brady for 20 years and Garoppolo for three-plus seasons as his backup. Garoppolo was then traded to the 49ers in 2017, where he has had several stints as the starting QB for San Francisco – most recently this season until an injury knocked him out of the lineup.

Brown, 29, played with the Patriots in 2018 while Brady was still the starter. He joined the Raiders in 2019 but returned to New England in 2021, Jones’ first season as the signal-caller.

Clearly, Brown isn’t that impressed with Jones’ performance thus far. The former Alabama quarterback had an notable rookie season, leading New England to a playoff berth in 2021 while securing a Pro Bowl nod. However, he has struggled along with the whole offense in 2022. Through 11 games, Jones has thrown for 2,310 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions, and his passer rating has dropped 10 points since last season.

The offense as a whole has missed former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who left to be the Raiders’ head coach in the offseason. Matt Patricia, former Lions head coach and the Patriots’ defensive coordinator before that, has been calling plays for the Patriots’ offense this season.

Perhaps the Patriots could look to upgrade the coaching staff, but if they choose to change quarterbacks instead at least one of their players appears like he would welcome that decision.