“Be careful what you wish for” - Former Patriots star takes new tone against fans pushing for Lamar Jackson

Over the last couple of weeks, New England Patriots fans and pundits have been clamoring for Lamar Jackson to step into Mac Jones' shoes. However, one former star from the AFC East franchise took a stand against the tide.

Speaking on "Good Morning Football," NFL analyst Jason McCourty revealed hopes of getting one last long look at Jones before exploring other options:

"I want to take a look back to his rookie year because it's not only just one of the reports coming out of Foxboro, but there's a lot of fans as well. Like 'We need to play [Bailey] Zappe. We need to go get Lamar Jackson.' Mac Jones was really good as a rookie. He came in after [Tom] Brady leaves..."

He went on to bring up the Patriots signal-caller's explosive mid-season performance in his rookie year:

"[He] had ten wins in his rookie season, led all rookies in passing yards and touchdowns. This guy was unbelievable and sky was the limit after his rookie year..."

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Will Mac Jones finish over .500 in 2023?

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Lastly, McCourty cautioned against pulling levers until absolutely certain that the other side will be better:

"Let's see how he overcomes all this adversity of all the conversations and all of these different things. But be careful what you wish for in hopes of there's something better on the other side that the grass is greener because Mac was really good in his rookie year. Let's see what he can become."

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Patriots QB Mac Jones standing on thin ice heading into third season

Mac Jones ahead of his team's game against the Las Vegas Raiders

After a strong rookie campaign, Mac Jones had half of the pundits on the air singing his praises. Now, most of those same people are looking to dump him in favor of other prospects. Fans are equally split, with some wanting Bailey Zappe to return and others wanting fresh blood.

All of this serves as ammunition for a quarterback who came into the league after winning a championship in college. Could the hostile airwaves force him to reach deep within to pull out a shocking season?

If Jones truly pops for the Patriots in his third season, it would arguably save Patriots head coach Bill Belichick from losing the old competition against Tom Brady. Alternately, it would at least give him a defense.

However, if the team falls flat for a third time, the vast majority of the country will expect a complete reset at the position in 2024. Will the Patriots step back into high gear in 2023?

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If any of the above quotes are used, please credit Good Morning Football and H/T Sportskeeda.