How Patriots staffer reacted to suggestion of a Mac Jones trade

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It's been a strange few weeks for the New England Patriots at the quarterback position. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

After the Patriots pulled Mac Jones in favor of rookie Bailey Zappe early in the second quarter of Monday's loss to the Chicago Bears, one NFL general manager told Audacy's Jason La Canfora he believes New England could make Jones available for trade next offseason.

So, is there any legitimacy to that hot take? The MMQB's Albert Breer joined NBC Sports Boston's "Patriots Pregame Live" on Sunday to share a Patriots staffer's reaction.

Curran: Clock is ticking on Mac Jones' turnaround

"I checked with somebody in the organization a couple hours ago, and the response I got was, 'Haha. GTFO,'" Breer said.

Breer then stated the obvious:  "At this point, there's no consideration of trading Mac Jones."

That doesn't mean Jones' job is completely secure. Head coach Bill Belichick refused to commit to Jones as the team's starter past Sunday's game against the New York Jets and Jones is 2-7 in his last nine games as New England's starter. So, if his struggles continue, perhaps the Patriots will re-evaluate the QB position.

But Breer noted that if the Patriots were serious about trading Jones, they'd need buy-in from team owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft.

"Ownership would need to get involved in that sort of decision, and I don't think there's any indication that the Krafts would want to move on from Mac Jones," Breer said.

Jones' struggles aren't all on him, as he's had to adjust to a first-time offensive play-caller in Matt Patricia and a new offensive system in the wake of Josh McDaniels' departure.

There's plenty of value in having a starting quarterback on a rookie deal, too, so the Patriots have incentive to be patient with Jones one year after he led New England to the postseason as a first-year Pro Bowler.

Check out Breer's full report in the video player above.

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