Ninkovich slams Mac Jones, praises Drake Maye’s ‘behavior’

Ninkovich slams Mac Jones as he praises Drake Maye’s ‘behavior’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Mac Jones didn’t see the end of his rookie contract in New England. And one former Patriots player is apparently very happy about it.

Former Patriots edge rusher and two-time Super Bowl champion Rob Ninkovich discussed the dangers of New England drafting quarterback Drake Maye too early, citing the downfall of Jones, whose play regressed in a dysfunctional Patriots offense to the point that the team traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars in March.

“Look at that damn Mac Jones in Jacksonville right now. He’s griddying everywhere,” Ninkovich said on a recent episode of the “Dan and Ninko Show.”

Co-host Dan O’Brien then went on to say that Jones doesn’t like Ninkovich, which led to heavy criticism from the former Patriot.

“I don’t give a f—,” Ninkovich said. “I’ll beat the f— out of that Mac Jones. I don’t give a f—. Do you care if somebody doesn’t like you?

“…I hope he has a great career as a backup and makes a lot of money.”

Jones’ strong play in the 2024 preseason — 421 passing yards, three touchdown passes and an NFL-leading passer rating of 115.9 — led some to wonder whether the Alabama product deserved another chance in New England in a more functional offense.

However, Ninkovich believes it is time for Jones to leave and is impressed with the way Maye is handling himself compared to Jones.

“It didn’t work. They needed a change,” Ninkovich said. “Just the attitude between Mac Jones and Drake Maye is completely different.”

Ninkovich then began imitating Jones during his post-game press conferences.

Warning: Video contains explicit language.

“I couldn’t listen to, ‘Yeah, you know, I just have to keep working and get better and um, you know, I’m just going to keep working hard and we’re all just together and um, yeah, it wasn’t my best performance and I have to get better.’ Over and over and over and over.

“I’d rather listen to Drake Maye than what he’s like, ‘Yeah, my modeling career failed, so now I’m back in Jacksonville. ‘”

Jones undoubtedly faced a tough time in New England, pairing up with first-time offensive lineman Matt Patricia in 2022 and a subpar offensive line in 2023. Still, he could have handled himself better, as his sideline outbursts are said to have rubbed teammates and coaches the wrong way.

While it’s entirely possible Maye will face similar adversity in his first start, the Patriots (and Ninkovich) are hoping the UNC product shows more mental toughness than his predecessor.

“I just needed a little more nuts,” Ninkovich said of Jones. “… Toughness, that’s what I needed.”