Jones happy to play in hometown behind Lawrence with Jaguars
It's easy to spot Mac Jones on Jacksonville's practice fields. He's the one dancing between plays.
Shimmying. Shaking. Strutting. Smiling.
The 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft is clearly enjoying his new role with his hometown team. After being the third Jaguars quarterback to take the field in last week's pre-season opener against Kansas City, Jones is expected to start against Tampa Bay on Saturday.
With Trevor Lawrence taking the night off following two joint practices with the Bucs, Jones will get a chance to secure the team's backup job. It's a far cry from being the starter for 43 games in New England, but it's also a refreshing reboot for the former Alabama star.
“I've competed my whole life and I find great joy in competition,” Jones said.
“I try to just be myself. I'm not going to change because of one thing or another.”
Jones and C.J. Beathard are expected to split the exhibition. Jones completed nine of 11 passes for 98 yards against the Chiefs; Beathard connected on seven of 14 for 125 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown pass to Devin Duvernay.
It would be a mild upset if Jones didn't land the No. 2 spot. After all, the Jaguars traded a sixth-round draft pick to New England in March in hopes of finding an upgrade behind Lawrence.
Lawrence missed the first game of his professional career following a sprained right shoulder in December.
He also missed significant practice time because of other injuries: a sprained left knee in Week 6, a sprained right ankle in Week 13 and a concussion in Week 15.
Beathard, 30, won his lone start in 2023, but also dealt with a nagging shoulder injury down the stretch. He is entering the final year of his contract.
The 25-year-old Jones, meanwhile, became available once the Patriots and new coach Jerod Mayo decided they were going to draft a quarterback (Drake Maye) with the No. 3 pick in April. It was a low-risk move for Jacksonville, which is on the hook for US$2.8 million in the final year of his rookie deal.
It also gave Jones a fresh start after getting booed, benched and eventually booted. The Jacksonville native and starter during Alabama's 2020 national championship run doesn't have nearly the same amount of pressure now. But he insists he's approaching everything the same way he did in college and in New England.
“Some years you're the starter and you may not be playing much. A lot of times it's a coach's decision. But I always want to get out there and play as much as I can,” he said. “Whether you're the starter, backup, third or fourth, it doesn't matter. You want the reps in the game.”
The Jaguars believe Jones has meshed well in their QB room and it shows in practice. He celebrates big plays like few others and has no problem letting loose between plays and during drills.
Money Mac is getting paid. Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan Mcpherson has agreed to a threeyear, $16.5-million contract extension, eliminating any chance of him hitting free agency in March.
Mcpherson, who earned the nickname Money Mac because of his penchant for making clutch kicks, will earn $10 million in new money in 2025, according to his agents at New York-based Sportstars Inc. That's nearly 10 times his base salary of $1,055,000 for 2024.
A fifth-round draft pick from Florida in 2021, Mcpherson has made 78 of 93 field goal attempts in three seasons. He's hit 21 of those from beyond 50 yards and is 126 of 132 on extra points.
Bengals owner/president Mike Brown said last month the sides had begun talking about an extension for Mcpherson, who is the fourth kicker to land a contract extension in the past five months.
Kansas City's Harrison Butker signed a four-year, $25.6-million extension earlier this month that made him the NFL'S highest-paid kicker. Cleveland's Dustin Hopkins signed a three-year, $15.9-million extension in July, and Philadelphia's Jake Elliott signed a four-year, $24-million extension in March.
Russell Wilson is expected to be in the lineup when the Pittsburgh Steelers host Buffalo on Saturday night.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said that Wilson will run out with the starters as long as he doesn't have any setbacks from a calf injury that has slowed him during training camp.
Pittsburgh signed the nine-time Pro Bowler to a one-year deal in March.
Tomlin has said for months that the 35-year-old Wilson is in “pole position” to be the starter when the regular season begins. That hasn't changed even with Wilson ceding plenty of reps to Justin Fields during camp to deal with the balky calf.