The Jaguars will finalize a trade Sunday to acquire Jones from the Patriots in exchange for a 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

The deal won't become official until the new league year begins Wednesday, but assuming Jones is able to pass a physical, the Jacksonville native will join his hometown team heading into his fourth NFL season. Though he served as a 42-game starter over his three seasons in New England, Jones slid to third on the depth chart by the end of the 2023 campaign and finished his tenure with the Patriots with a 66.1 completion percentage for 6.8 yards per attempt and a 46:36 TD:INT. He'll give the Jaguars an experienced backup option behind Trevor Lawrence, who thus far has proven durable in his young career with just one missed game over three seasons. Expect the Jaguars to decline Jones' pricey fifth-year option on his rookie contract this spring, which will make the 25-year-old signal-caller eligible for free agency following the 2024 season.

New England is open to trading Jones and has engaged with discussions in teams around the league, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Patriots have been consistently rumored to be open to revamping the quarterback room this offseason, and Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal reports that the team has no intention of picking up Jones' fifth-year option. Jones, a 2021 first-round pick, finished his third NFL season as a healthy scratch after being replaced by Bailey Zappe as New England's starter Week 13, ending the year with a mediocre 2,120 passing yards and 10:12 TD:INT. It's unclear whether Jones will have a significant trade market at this point, but there are enough questions marks at quarterback elsewhere in the league that some teams may be willing to take a chance on the young signal-caller, even if they may not be willing to part with substantial draft capital.

Jones finished the 2023 season with 2,120 passing yards to go along with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 11 games.

EDGE Analysis

Jones, who was supplanted as the Patriots' starting QB in Week 13 by Bailey Zappe, finished his third season as a pro as the inactive third QB in Week 18. Per Evan Lazar of the team's official site, the 2021 first-rounder is unlikely to have his fifth-year contract option picked up by New England. Beyond that, it remains to be seen if Jones will be given an opportunity to compete for the starting job in 2024, with Lazar suggesting that it's possible that the signal caller could be dealt this offseason and thus get a fresh start in a new locale.

Jones (coach's decision) was designated the Patriots' inactive third QB for Sunday's game against the Jets.

EDGE Analysis

As a result, Nathan Rourke will serve as Bailey Zappe's top backup in the Patriots' season finale. Jones last saw game action in the team's Week 12 loss to the Giants.

Jones was active but didn't see any snaps in Sunday's 6-0 loss to the Chargers.

EDGE Analysis

Heading into Week 13 action, Jones had started all 11 of the Patriots' games, but on Sunday it was Bailey Zappe who got the nod at QB. Given the results of the contest, it remains to be seen which signal-caller will handle the first snap Thursday night against the Steelers, but it would surprise if coach Bill Belichick offered much clarity on the situation in the coming days.

Though coach Bill Belichick hasn't confirmed the Patriots' Week 13 starting QB, Evan Lazar of the team's official site notes that all signs still point to Bailey Zappe starting over Jones in Sunday's game against the Chargers.

EDGE Analysis

Jones has started all 11 of the 2-9 Patriots' games to date this season, but he's been pulled early in four of those contests, including after halftime in the team's 10-7 loss to the Giants in Week 12. On Sunday, it appears as though the team plans to turn to Zappe, and in that context Jones is not a fantasy lineup option this weekend.

Jones wasn't seen attempting passes during the media-access portion of Wednesday's practice, while Bailey Zappe logged multiple reps at quarterback and was followed in drills by practice-squad member Malik Cunningham, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Head coach Bill Belichick has declined to name a starting quarterback for this weekend's game against the Chargers, but based on what transpired during the initial stages of Wednesday's practice, Zappe -- who replaced Jones after halftime during the Patriots' 10-7 loss to the Giants on Sunday -- may be the frontrunner for the assignment. Jones has started all 11 games for the 2-9 Patriots this season, but he's been pulled early in four of those contests.

Head coach Bill Belichick declined Wednesday to name either Jones or Bailey Zappe the Patriots' starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jones has started all 11 games for the Patriots this season, but he's been pulled early in both of the team's last two contests. After completing 12 of 21 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions in the first two quarters of this past Sunday's 10-7 loss to the Giants, Jones was benched at halftime in favor of Zappe. Over the final two quarters, Zappe didn't fare dramatically better than Jones, completing nine of 14 passes for 54 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Jones and Zappe still profile as the top starting candidates for Week 13, but if Belichick elects to go in a different direction, the Patriots have Will Grier and Malik Cunningham available on the practice squad, though Cunningham has seen more of his reps at receiver of late.

Jones was replaced by Bailey Zappe to begin the second half of Sunday's game against the Giants, Mike Reiss of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Leading up to the contest, the Patriots didn't publicly name a starting QB, but Jones ended up getting the nod and playing the entire first half. In the process, the 2021 first-rounder completed 12 of 21 passing attempts for 89 yards and two interceptions. With the signal-caller pivot Sunday, it remains to be seen who helms the team's offense in Week 13, but if Zappe looks sharp versus the Giants it could earn him another look against the Chargers next weekend.

Jones took reps with the first-team offense during pregame warmups and appears in line to start Sunday's game against the Giants, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though head coach Bill Belichick never offered confirmation on a Week 12 starting quarterback coming out of a bye week, the Patriots appear poised to stick with Jones, who was benched for New England's final possession of a Week 10 loss to Indianapolis. Jones has completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 6.3 yards per attempt and a 10:10 TD:INT through his first 10 starts this season, so he could be on a short leash Sunday if he struggles early on. The possibility also exists that the Patriots deploy some sort of quarterback timeshare arrangement between Jones and Bailey Zappe, as both signal-callers reportedly received first-team reps in practice this week, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Jones and Zappe are the only two signal-callers active for the Patriots after the team waived Will Grier on Saturday.