Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones was selected in the first round (15th overall) by the New England Patriots in the 2021 NFL Draft. The fifth quarterback off the board, Jones has outplayed all passers from his class to date as he got the Patriots back to the postseason after a one-year post-Tom Brady absence.
Get to know more about Jones, who is trying to become the first New England player to win Offensive Rookie of the Year since Curtis Martin in 1995:
Mac Jones' bio
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
- Height: 6-foot-3
- Weight: 214 pounds
- Birthdate: September 5, 1998
- Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida
- College: Alabama
- NFL experience: Rookie
- Jersey number: 10
Mac Jones' career NFL stats
Here are some of Mac Jones' notable career achievements and statistics:
- First rookie to start season opener for Patriots since Drew Bledsoe (1993)
- Third quarterback to win first six road starts as rookie (Ben Roethlisberger, Dak Prescott)
- First rookie to have consecutive games with completion percentage over 80
- Offensive Rookie of the Month (November 2021)
- Career totals (through 2021 season)
- 3,801 passing yards
- 22 touchdown passes
- 13 interceptions
- 67.6% completion percentage
- 92.5 passer rating
Here are Mac Jones's contract details with the Patriots
Like all first-round draft picks, Mac Jones signed a four-year contract with a fifth-year option with the Patriots in July 2021. Based on his draft slot, Jones can earn just under $15.6 million over the first four years of his deal.
New England can exercise Jones' fifth-year option after the 2023 season, the same time it could attempt to sign him to a longer deal. If the Patriots declined Jones' fifth-year option, he could become a free agent after the 2024 season at age 26; if the team picks up the fifth-year option but doesn't extend Jones, he could become a free agent after the 2025 season at age 27.
Mac Jones' college career
New England Patriots
Jones played college football at the University of Alabama for Nick Saban.
Ranked 17th among quarterbacks from the high school class of 2017 by ESPN -- behind current Houston Texans starter Davis Mills (No. 2) and New York Giants backup Jake Fromm (No. 7), Jones chose Alabama among 19 Division I offers, including one program which could have brought him to New England earlier in Boston College.
Instead, Jones went to Alabama after initially committing to Kentucky following a successful high school career at The Bolles School in Jacksonville, where Jones led the team to a Florida Class 4A title as a senior in 2016.
Jones redshirted in 2017 when the Crimson Tide won the national title, making his college debut in 2018 as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts when Alabama lost in the championship against Clemson. After Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury in 2019, Jones took over as starter for the team's final three games, including a win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
As starting quarterback in 2020, Jones led the Crimson Tide to a perfect 13-0 campaign, culminating in a 52-24 win over Ohio State in the national championship game after a Rose Bowl win over Notre Dame. Jones completed 311 of 402 passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdown passes and just four interceptions on the season, good enough for a third-place finish in Heisman voting. Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith won the award, with Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence finishing second.
Jones chose to forgo his final season of college eligibility, declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft shortly after winning the national championship.
Meet Mac Jones' family
Jones is one of three children of Gordon and Holly Jones, all of whom played Division I sports in college. Mac's brother, Will, played soccer at Mercer University and his sister, Sarah Jane, played tennis at the College of Charleston. Gordon Jones played tennis collegiately, first at Florida State and later at Flagler College.
Jones' girlfriend, Sophie, helps him prepare for Patriots games by conducting walkthroughs after practice.