Former Patriots Quarterback Mac Jones Predicted As AFC East Rival’s Week 1 Starter
The NFL offseason is still in its infancy, but that won’t stop media members from predicting the next landing spot for quarterbacks such as San Francisco 49ers signal-caller Mac Jones.
The former New England Patriots Pro Bowler said recently that he had his “swag back” following a turnaround 2025 campaign as Brock Purdy’s backup and is ready to be a starter again.
It was reported on Saturday though that the 49ers are “not looking” to trade Jones.
With the former 15th overall pick’s status for next season at least somewhat in question, MassLive.com’s seven experts predicted the Week 1 starting quarterbacks for all 32 teams on Tuesday.
While some choices were obvious (Drake Maye, Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, etc.), uncertainties with teams like the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets resulted in varying answers.
Both sports columnist Matt Vautour and sports reporter Lauren Campbell predicted that Jones will be under center for the Jets to begin the 2026 campaign, while sports columnist Karen Guregian and sports managing producer Meredith Perri picked Jones as the Vikings’ next starter.
Notably, that’s four of the seven experts who believe that Jones will get his wish and return as a Week 1 starting quarterback in the fall.