Bubbly Jaguars QB Mac Jones reminds us that football players like to have fun

Quarterback Mac Jones is currently on a redemption tour with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 2021 first-round pick is trying to rebuild his stock after two underwhelming seasons with the New England Patriots. Without having to carry the weight of expectations, he's been able to be himself and enjoy football. Having said that, he takes his job seriously and teammate Trevor Lawrence commends him for having a balanced approach.

Lawrence met with the local media ahead of the team's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason opener. He touched on several topics, including Jones' approach to training camp and how he's embraced his role in a different quarterback room.

"Mac is having a great time. I'm sure you guys have seen, "Lawrence said." Mac has been fun to be around. He's just bubbly, loves football. That's like the best way to describe him. Just bubbly, loves football, loves being out here. The guys respond great to him, but he also has great command, like he's not just a jokester. He's serious and takes care of his business. Really smart player, I've been impressed with how he's handled everything coming into a new QB room, a different role."

Lawrence continued, "C.J. is here too, and the dynamic between them has been cool to watch and to see how those two have really gone with the flow of the situation. And everyone knows the deal. We're all here to compete and do our best and play our best. So that's plain and simple, but you can have fun and you can have a good QB room while doing it."

"And I think that important to remember, not just for quarterbacks, but for every position. But we step on the field everyone's trying to execute and then do their best to make every play, but I think we have a really good time in our room, which makes it fun, and we're all on the same page, and I think that is critical, especially as a quarterback."

Jones got off to a promising start to his NFL career, making the Pro Bowl and taking New England to the playoffs. But he was unable to build off of his early success because the team lacked stability, at least when it pertained to the offensive coordinator position. Without the proper guidance in place, the former Alabama product regressed and was even benched several times the past two seasons.

By the end of 2023, Jones' confidence was shattered and the Patriots were ready to move on from him. They placed him on the trade block in the offseason but Jacksonville was the only team with legitimate interest in him. For that reason, they were able to acquire the 15th overall pick in 2021 in exchange for just a sixth-round selection.

In Jacksonville, Jones is competing for the top backup job behind Lawrence. He'll have to fend off veteran C.J. Beathard, who's held the role the past three seasons.

Doug Pederson met with the local media on Day 13 of training camp and said that Lawrence will start. Beathard will get snaps with the second team and Jones will go third.

While Lawrence will be working on his getting his timing right and rapport with his pass catchers, Beathard and Jones will be competing, so they'll need to show out even if the game doesn't count in the standings. Here's No. 16 talking about Jones. It starts around the 3:27 mark:

Mac Jones is looking to enjoy a career revival with the Jaguars

As noted before, the Patriots mismanaged Mac Jones' development, so it's not surprising that he faltered. It's also worth noting that former head coach Bill Belichick had a hard time connecting with players and his "Do Your Job" mantra didn't have a positive impact on how the offense was run. In Jacksonville, though, Jones has benefitted from a fresh start.

No longer is the quarterback held back by Bilichick's rigid and outdated approach to football. Early in training camp, he caught the spotlight because he was having fun in practice. And that's the thing, football players are also people, and they're allowed to have fun. The trouble would be if he were a buffoon who doesn't take his job seriously, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

As Trevor Lawrence noted, his fellow quarterback aims for balance and knows when he needs to turn it off. Offensive coordinator Press Taylor, for his part, echoes this sentiment, pointing out that Jones loves football and doesn't have a problem with him having fun.

If things go as planned, Mac Jones won't have to step onto the football field in 2024. But if he does, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be confident in his ability to fill in for Trevor Lawrence.

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