Former Alabama QB Traded to Hometown Team

A former Crimson Tide signal-caller is on the move after the ending of his time in New England led to him being benched.

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The 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, has been traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 6th-round pick, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Jones, a three-star recruit from Bolles High School in Jacksonville, Florida, committed to Alabama on June 7, 2016, where he was the third string to Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa in 2017. He remained the third string after Hurts and Tagovailoa switched places on the depth chart.

After Tagovailoa dislocated his hip against Mississippi State in 2019, Jones took over as the starter. He lost the Iron Bowl, a game which saw him throw two pick-sixes, but bounced back in the Tide's win over the Michigan Wolverines in the Citrus Bowl.

Jones won the starting job in 2020 and never looked back. During the 2020 season which saw him finish third in the Heisman Trophy race, Jones completed 77.4% of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Jones also was a consensus All-American and won the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Manning Award in 2020. He led Alabama to an undefeated national championship, securing the school's 18th championship with a win over Ohio State in Miami.

After being selected with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Jones was the starter in week one. He made the Pro Bowl in his rookie year with 3,801 yards, 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Jones remained the starter in 2022 but dealt with an injury that led to Bailey Zappe taking over as the starter. Jones was eventually benched in 2023 for Zappe, although the move did nothing to help the Patriots' woes, leading to them possessing the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Now, Jones gets a fresh start in a familiar place. He'll serve as the backup to Trevor Lawrence for the Jaguars. They both were in the 2021 NFL draft class, with Lawrence being selected first overall.