FOXBORO -- Mac Jones told reporters Wednesday that he thinks his relationship with Bill Belichick is good. When asked less than 24 hours later if he agreed with that assessment, Belichick concurred, in his own way.
"I'm good with all the players that are on the team," Belichick said. "Absolutely."
Belichick was also asked if he trusted that he'd see the level of leadership from Jones this season that he typically would like to see from that position.
"I have trust in all the players on our team," Belichick said. "If I didn't, they wouldn't be here."
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In an offseason where an unbelievable amount of scrutiny has been paid to both Jones and Belichick and how they interact -- as well as how they speak about one another publicly -- Belichick's most recent comments likely won't do much to dissuade folks from wondering how happy he is with his quarterback after a rocky 2022.
After last season ended, when Belichick was asked if Jones would be his starter moving forward, Belichick said of Jones, "Mac has the ability to play quarterback in this league."
It was a far cry from how Belichick sounded prior to the start of last season when he praised Jones' work ethic and his level of improvement from Year 1 to Year 2. Fast forward to this spring, and Belichick said he "absolutely" feels the same way about Jones now.
But the manner in which Belichick speaks about Jones, particularly compared to how he sounded around this time last year, seems tepid.
As Belichick might say, it is what it is. They're into training camp now. It's a new year. Things are in motion. There's a new offensive coordinator in town. If Jones is going to earn the kind of praise from Belichick that he did around this time last year, it'll happen based on how Jones performs on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium and behind the scenes.
And if they win come September, that'll go a long way in quieting any questions people may have about just how strongly the coach feels about the quarterback.
