On Sunday, March 11, 2024, Mac Jones was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 6th-round pick. This confirms the Patriots will be going after a quarterback with their 3rd overall pick in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft from April 25th-27th. As New Englanders know, the Patriots did not have a typical season. Wanting and expecting a change, many people are upset with the struggle that has been seen in the past few years by the Patriots–and especially with Mac Jones.

We decided to interview SHS students to see what they think about the trade, whether they think it was worth it, and what they thought of Mac Jones during his past seasons.

We first interviewed junior Ronan Manning, who shared his thoughts on the trade: “I mean, he is still a young quarterback in the NFL, and not every college athlete is going to come out of college putting up ridiculous numbers. I mean, yeah, he wasn’t good at all, and it was hard to watch, but I think that a 6th-round draft pick is pretty low for Mac.”

After a not-so-good season, we noticed some students still support Jones and his capabilities as a professional athlete. Manning responded with some respect for Jones; however, that wasn’t the case for senior Colton Downing, a die-hard Tom Brady supporter who was not a fan of Mac Jones: “I mean, the guy was just awful. He couldn’t throw. He couldn’t–he straight up couldn’t do anything. I’m glad he’s gone. Can we bring Tommy back out of retirement?” Reflecting on the trade, Downing remarked, “Yeah, that trade was good–are you serious? I would have taken a Ring Pop for that guy.”

As we expected, everyone wants the old Patriots back–winning Super Bowls and killing competition–not going 4-13 like they did last season. 

Many fans are worried about the Patriots franchise and what will happen in the future, so we asked students to recall what life was like with such an elite sports team and how it feels having a team that recently finished last in its conference. SHS senior Michael Porter shared his perspective: “Growing up, I was a huge Pats fan and watched them win Super Bowls numerous times and make the playoffs. I was always a huge Brady fan, and having him on the team really was what made me watch the games. Since he has left and Mac Jones came, we have struggled, and it has been hard to watch.” Commenting on his continued allegiance to the team, Porter said, “Honestly, now I barely even watch the games because of how bad and hard to watch they are.”

The Patriots’ downfall over the past year seems to have brought down many viewers. As SHS senior Sam Brown noted, “Yeah, I agree with Michael. They are hard to watch, and I barely even watch them now, too.” Brown added, “I hope that they can bring in another quarterback to make our offense actually a threat.”

Like many SHS students, Porter and Brown clearly miss the previous Patriots and the legacy they enjoy in New England. With the upcoming draft this month, we will learn who the new quarterback will be and make our own judgments about whether or not the Patriots can regain their championship status.