Patriots Rumors: J.C. Jackson benched (and left home) for Germany game

The New England Patriots traded for J.C. Jackson in October after the CB endured a rocky stretch with the Los Angeles Chargers. He has since appeared in five games (three starts) for the Pats in 2023, accumulating 14 tackles and three pass deflections.

It's safe to say Jackson has not performed up to expectations. The 27-year-old, who spent the first five years of his career in New England (including a Pro Bowl appearance in 2021), signed a five-year, $82.5 million contract with the Chargers in 2022. He only managed five games due to injury last season before starting the 2023 campaign on uneven ground.

The Patriots hoped Jackson would return to Pro Bowl form in his old stomping grounds, but it hasn't come to fruition. Now, Jackson will be absent for the Patriots' matchup with the Indianapolis Colts in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday. According to Chad Graff and Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the Patriots have "lost confidence" in Jackson. He did not make the trip.

Jack Jones, Myles Bryant, and Shaun Wade are expected to get extended reps with Jackson out of commission. The Patriots' CB room isn't particularly deep and New England's defense has been on the struggle bus for several weeks now. Bill Belichick's squad can't afford for Jackson to completely bottom out, but right now, it's clear the team has little faith in the former Pro Bowler turning his season around.

The hope will be that Jackson can get back up to speed once the team returns to domestic soil, but it's safe to assume the Patriots' defensive backfield will underwhelm from here on out.

Patriots Rumors: Mac Jones' decision-making frustrates members of the organization

The Patriots selected Mac Jones with the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The Alabama product was billed as a brilliant, cerebral game manager with the football I.Q. necessary to offset middling physical tools.

Well, for a while, that appeared to be the case. Jones was stupendous as a rookie, earning his first (and as of now, only) Pro Bowl appearance. In the years since, Jones has been on a precipitous decline. He appears to have lost all confidence in the pocket. New England continues to ride with Jones as the weekly starter — primarily due to a lack of viable alternatives — but it's clear his days as the New England QB1 are numbered.

Rather than solid, mistake-free football, Jones has been a woeful decision-maker in his third NFL season. Though nine weeks, he leads the NFL with nine interceptions. He has completed 64.8 percent of his passes at 6.1 yards per attempt, both career lows. He has 10 touchdowns, which ranks 17th in the NFL.

Unsurprisingly, frustration is mounting in the Patriots organization, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

"One thing that's really infuriated people there, people in the building is the decision-making. They've been sold this smart, efficient, game-managing quarterback and they're not getting it. The decision-making hasn't been good. They see him passing up open receivers. They see things that, quite frankly, that you wouldn't see from a quarterback who has those sorts of qualities."

Jones' job is in jeopardy at this point. The Patriots have been very publicly preparing Bailey Zappe and Will Grier for potential opportunities. At 2-7, New England's postseason hopes are toast. At this point, Bill Belichick — he of infallible, all-time great status — might be on the hot seat. If Jones can't start delivering at least passable results, the Patriots should probably explore the alternatives. It can't get much worse.

If the Patriots do decide to pull the plug on Jones, expect the trade market to heat up during the offseason. Maybe a team is convinced it can restore Jones to his rookie-season glory with the right support staff.

Patriots Rumors: Bill Belichick trade could be logical conclusion for Hall of Fame coach's tenure

Speaking of Bill Belichick's hot seat...

The Patriots negotiated a new contract with Belichick during the offseason, but it is not expected to extend beyond 2024. At this point, the vibes in New England are too miserable to ignore. Belichick has never been one for copious amounts of losing, and the Patriots probably wouldn't mind a hard reset.

There's no denying Belichick's résumé, but we approaching the Doc Rivers Paradox. He's an absolute all-time great coach, but is Doc Rivers a good head coach right now, in 2023? Clearly, the Sixers aren't so convinced. Belichick will forever have a place in NFL lore, but it's clear the Patriots are not executing at the necessary level right now.

Mike Florio of NBC Sports penned a probing exploration of the Bill Belichick endgame and came to the conclusion that a trade might be the best way out for both sides.

"Any team looking for a coach after the season could try to make that deal. Which creates what could be a game of chicken of sorts after the season ends, with teams potentially interested in Belichick waiting for him to become a free agent and the Patriots waiting for teams potentially interested in Belichick to call."

Teams could wait for Belichick to hit free agency, but that would require a "Rooney Rule-compliant" search, as Florio states. NFL teams are not allowed to jump straight to hiring a white, male candidate without sufficiently scouring the market and considering minority candidates. That's how it should be, but NFL front offices tend to circumvent the rules when possible, and Belichick's reputation is such that a team will want to hire him — and only him — without an interview.

Florio pitches a possible timeline in which the Patriots and Belichick's next team work discreetly behind the scenes to hammer out the compensation, both for the trade and for Belichick's next contract, before a deal is officially submitted to the league. Rather than being fired and re-hired, Belichick would simply be traded. The Patriots don't lose him for nothing, and his next team doesn't have to jump through the necessary (and some would say, important) hoops.

"The compensation to the Patriots would be pre-negotiated. Belichick's contract would be pre-negotiated. Then, at the right time, the first domino would be flicked, with a phone call from Belichick's next team to the Patriots."

The odds of Belichick changing teams next offseason skyrocket with each successive loss. He's one of the best ever, but his Patriots' tenure is about to come to a very sad, rather embarrassing conclusion. The question is, does Belichick really want to keep going with another team?