The Jaguars concluded their preseason schedule Friday night with Mac Jones making his final offer for the No. 2 quarterback after Trevor Lawrence.
Jones had competed with C.J. Beathard this summer, but Beathard missed the game with a groin injury and Jones made a strong case for himself by going 13-of-18 for 113 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. That kind of success eluded Jones as a member of the Patriots, but Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said it was in line with what the team has seen from him this summer.
Pederson did note that the bad habits from New England still sometimes seep into his game.
“Mac has played extremely good “He’s really come into his own over the last couple of weeks and has really come to believe in what we’re doing,” Pederson said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “He’s still going to revert to his Patriots ways at times, and we have to remind him that he’s in Jacksonville. But he’s done a good job of managing the offense and running it, getting everybody involved. He sees the field well, throws a good ball, so he’s done a good job.”
The Jaguars would like to have Lawrence in the lineup for the entire 2024 season, but they’re hoping Jones has no memories of the Patriots if they have to put him in charge of the offense.
