The Facts: Even though questions about his future with the Patriots have lingered for a good portion of the offseason, Jones believes he’s had a good offseason to this point and is looking forward to the 2023 campaign. Jones seemed happy about Bill O’Brien’s arrival as the coordinator when asked about him in an interview with WBZ-TV. “I think we’re all excited for this next year, and it just starts with putting your head down and going to work,” Jones said when asked about his working relationship with O’Brien. “We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s all about how you come together as a team — players, coaches, everybody. So I’m excited to work with [O’Brien], and I know we all are, and it’s gonna be a great year. We’ve just gotta put the work in.”
Diehards Line:
As Globe staffer Conor Roche reminded readers, Jones’s play, plus the way he reportedly handled the Patriots’ unusual coaching setup with Matt Patricia calling plays and Joe Judge coaching the quarterbacks, led to questions about his future in New England. Jones sought help on how to fix the offense from members outside the Patriots, which upset Bill Belichick, according to multiple reports. Another report said that Jones had been shopped by Belichick in trades this offseason, though the details of that report have been debated. Belichick hasn’t outright said that Jones is the starting quarterback for the Patriots in 2023 when asked about it twice so far this offseason. Despite all of that noise though, Jones didn’t have a bad thing to say about how things have transpired this offseason. “[The offseason has] been good,” Jones said. “I think it’s important to just evaluate everything. ..." In addition to the changes on the offensive coaching staff, some of the talent around Jones changed, too. His top target over the first two seasons of his career, Jakobi Meyers, left to sign a deal with the Raiders in free agency. Tight end Jonnu Smith was also traded to the Falcons. But both players were replaced in some form. JuJu Smith-Schuster agreed to a deal with the Patriots the day after Meyers left and tight end Mike Gesicki signed a one-year deal with the team, too.