Mac Jones among 12 Patriots to win offseason award (report)

Mac Jones’ dedication this offseason has been recognized by Bill Belichick.

The quarterback was one of a dozen Patriots to win New England’s offseason program award, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The other winners were David Andrews, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Chris Board, Myles Bryant, Hunter Henry, Mike Gesicki, Jabrill Peppers, Cole Strange, Brendan Schooler, Matthew Slater, and Deatrich Wise.

For Jones, 2023 is a massive season on a few different levels. With Bill O’Brien returning, Jones will once again have one of the game’s best offensive minds in his ear. So will it look like his strong rookie season with Josh McDaniels, or a continuation of an underwhelming 2022?

There’s been much speculation about Jones’ relationship with Belichick — he wasn’t afraid to light up the Patriots sideline last season — but after their first training camp session, Jones said he and his coach were on the same page.

“I think we’re good,” Jones said. “I think the biggest thing that we’ve all talked about is just having a fresh start. I think there’s a lot of learning experiences from last year that we’ve talked about and this year, it’s all about just working together, right? You’ve got to come up with a plan, obviously talk about it, and then execute it. So, I’m excited for that part of it.

“For me, I’m just trying to be really consistent, try not to ride the wave, just stay my course and hopefully, everybody on our offense feels that, too. I think Coach O’Brien does a great job laying out what we do well so far, and we’re going to learn every day what we do well and then from there, you just keep moving forward and execute the plan. So, I’m definitely excited for that.”