A former top player for the New England Patriots and a fan favorite unleashed a vicious tirade on Mac Jones, the quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After a dismal conclusion to his time with the Patriots, Mac Jones is starting his first season with Jacksonville.
In exchange for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick, New England gave Jones, who was desperate for a fresh start going into his contract year, the first-round pick in 2021.
With a 10-7 record and Pro Bowl selections, Jones showed signs of becoming a potential star in his debut season, leading New England to the postseason.
Is Mac Jones an easy target ?
But a bad 2023 season that saw him benched for Bailey Zappe was caused by a strained relationship with head coach Bill Belichick and poor play. Former Patriots player Rob Ninkovich attacked Jones and threatened to “smack the (expletive) out of” the 25-year-old on the most recent episode of “The Dan and Ninko Show,” which he co-hosts with Dan O’Brien:
“Look at freaking Mac Jones down in Jacksonville right now. He’s griddying all over the place. I don’t give a f–k. I’ll smack the s–t out of f–king Mac Jones. I don’t care. Do you care if somebody doesn’t like you?”
In reaction to O’Brien’s statement that Mac Jones “does not like” the two-time Super Bowl champion, Ninkovich made his final statement there. It goes without saying that Jones will not be asking Ninkovich to have a beer with him in Jacksonville anytime soon.
Hometown heroes 🤝@MacJones_10 | @supercooper43 pic.twitter.com/d0sBd8R7ZL
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) September 4, 2024
Ninkovich joined the Patriots in 2009 following two stints with the Saints and a brief stay with the Miami Dolphins. Up to his last NFL season in 2016, he was a member of that team, when he helped the Pats win Super Bowl 49 and 51. Jones and the Jaguars play Tyreek Hill’s Miami Dolphins on the road on Sunday to kick up their 2024 campaign.
