Mac Jones doesn’t have a preference on who will be the Patriots’ next offensive coordinator

Mac Jones has already been dealt a tough blow entering year two. He’ll have to work with a new offensive coordinator after Josh McDaniels left the Patriots to become the next head coach of the Raiders.

In an interview with NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry on the “Next Pats Podcast,” Jones said he’s “really happy for Josh and his family” and believes he’ll do well in Las Vegas. As for what’s happening in New England, Jones shared how he’s prepared for the changes that will come on the Patriots’ coaching staff.

“It’s not my first rodeo with dealing with a new coordinator,” Jones told Perry. “At Alabama. I think back to all the different guys I’ve worked with and I have a lot of experience with learning a new — we’re gonna keep the same system but, you know, new terminology here and there. I know coach (Bill) Belichick will have a plan, and I’m looking forward to working just getting better as a player regardless of who’s out there with us.”

During his four years at Alabama, Jones played under four offensive coordinators and worked with a fifth he was leaving the program in 2021. That fifth person was Bill O’Brien, who became the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator following the 2020 season. While he never played under O’Brien, Jones helped O’Brien learn Alabama’s system during the 2021 offseason, O’Brien said.

O’Brien has been speculated as a top candidate for the Patriots’ offensive coordinator role, and while Jones already has a history with him, the quarterback doesn’t have a preference.

“I just leave it up to coach,” Jones said. “He does a good job picking the right people. He’s done that for however many years that he’s been a head coach, and that’s why I’m really happy to be with him because he always has a plan.

“Similar to college (at Alabama), we always had a plan for when somebody else got hired. We brought somebody in, the relationship builds, you earn the trust and then you can just keep moving forward.”

One coaching hire the Patriots have already made is bringing back Joe Judge. After a disastrous two seasons as the Giants head coach, Judge returns to New England in a new role: offensive assistant. Judge’s vague job title after almost exclusively working as a special teams coach during his previous tenure with the Patriots has led some insiders to speculate if he’ll be the next play-caller.

Whether Judge is the head honcho of the Patriots’ offense in 2022 or not, Jones is “excited” to have him on board.

“I know he has a lot of experience with our system and all that, so I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Jones said. “I talked to him a little bit in the practices and training camp (in 2021). I don’t really know him very well personally or anything, but I’m sure we’re gonna talk and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

As the Patriots’ coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball gets sorted out, Jones isn’t prioritizing one personal goal over another.

“I have categories and all that, but I think the most important thing is to get better at each one,” Jones said. “I try not to prioritize one over the other. Learn as much as you can from people that have done it. Just try and be a sponge. That’s my goal, to try and be a sponge. Whatever I can learn and take away that I like from somebody, whether it be advice, coaching, whatever it may be, I’m going to take it and apply it to my game how it applies to me.”