How QB Mac Jones’ Trade To Jaguars Could Affect Betting Odds
Last week, the New England Patriots announced that the Jaguars acquired QB Mac Jones in exchange for a 2024 draft choice.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder started in every regular season game he played for his time with the Patriots, earning 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Just last season, he earned 10 of those touchdowns and 12 interceptions across eleven games, which suggests that the Jaguars are in for a welcome surprise.
Mac Jones Wanted To Come Back Home
Though he was initially silent about the deal, the quarterback was by no means blindsided. In fact, he didn’t just see it coming – he actually played a role in the decision to be traded.
The Patriots had been looking for possible trades for the former first-round pick, and it didn’t take long for them to complete the transaction with the Jaguars. Initially, four teams were in the running, but the Jaguars were the only ones to deliver an offer.
Jones recently discussed the deal, which can be heard within the 1010 XL podcast network, sharing that he and New England mutually agreed to go their separate ways after a three-year run, a period that had as many highs as it did lows. But now, the Jacksonville-born player is excited about the idea of going back home.
As a top-15 pick in the 2021 draft, Jones helped bring the Patriots to their only playoff appearance since the end of the Tom Brady era. But since then, their performance regressed, and Jones was benched after taking New England to a rough 2-9 start to 2023. He leaves with an 18-25 starting record and a 66.1% completion percentage, hoping to restart his career as Trevor Lawrence’s backup.
How The Trade Affects The Jaguars
By acquiring Jones, Jacksonville has soundly upgraded the backup QB position without having to sacrifice very much at all. It also helps that Jones, as a Jacksonville native, actually wants to be there. Though he’d undoubtedly prefer to start games, he will nevertheless embrace the role and help Lawrence make the Jaguars even greater.
Even before Jones has played one snap for Jacksonville, the trade has generated positive buzz among experts. For example, former MVP quarterback Matt Ryan thought it was a very savvy move, saying that there was “no downside.” He also believed that the public had an incomplete understanding of what Mac Jones was like as a quarterback, given the circumstances surrounding his time with New England.
There’s truth behind Ryan’s words – the Patriots did no favours to Jones during their time together. Though he had struggles that were his own, any quarterback would struggle with three different offensive coordinators over three years and some of the worst receiver corps and offensive lines in the NFL.
As for the betting odds, there’s already plenty of buzz ahead of the 2024 NFL season now that news of the Jones trade is public. Here’s how the average odds have shifted on tonnes of Curacao betting sites for Brits:
| If you bet $100 on… | You may win… |
| Jaguars missing the playoffs | $83.33 (-120) |
| Jaguars making the playoffs | $100.00 (+100) |
| Jaguars topping AFC South | $210.00 (+210) |
| Jaguars winning AFC Championship | $2,000.00 (+2000) |
| Jaguars winning Super Bowl LIX | $4,000.00 (+4000) |
Obviously, these odds are bound to shift dramatically as we get closer to the first game in September, but it’s nevertheless interesting to see the changes in response to the trade; it gives some insight into the hope that football fans and experts have about the new backup quarterback.
Will Jones Become The Jaguar’s Starter?
It’s too early to say whether Mac Jones will eventually surpass Trevor Lawrence as the starting quarterback, but some analysts think the signs are there.
For one, Lawrence struggled with an injury toward the end of the previous season. While he was able to work his way through it then, there’s no reason to believe that it won’t happen again. Plus, there’s the fact that Jones is just plain happy to be back home again.
His inclusion may not have moved the needle too far just yet, but having a skilled player as insurance against Lawrence can only benefit the Jaguars. And to be quite honest, when you take it all in together, it starts to seem a lot like destiny. Whether that means he is fated to rise up as a star or to remain as a backup option for the rest of his career – only time will tell.
