When the news came down Sunday that Josh McDaniels would be joining the Las Vegas Raiders as their next head coach, Patriots fans' thoughts immediately turned to one thing: What will this mean for Mac Jones?
Appearing on The Greg Hill Show Monday morning, Boomer Esiason of WFAN and CBS Sports definitively said that McDaniels' departure should not be taken lightly by Patriots Nation.
This development, Esiason said, will be a very real challenge for Bill Belichick and his second-year quarterback.
"It could be big," Esiason said of McDaniels' departure. "You guys asked me two weeks ago, should Josh McDaniels take the Raiders job. What did I say? I’m happy for Josh and I’m certainly happy for what he has accomplished in Patriotland. I’m looking forward to what he does his second time around and what he has learned from the previous mistake he made in Denver. Drafting Tim Tebow in the first round … Be that as it may, he deserves a second chance.
"But it will impact Mac, there is no question about it. The combination of McDaniels and Belichick is about as good as it gets in the NFL. It’s as high level as it gets. Systems make the players better, but the players have to adhere to the systems. They have to buy-in. For some reason, you have the quarterback there for the last 22 years, maybe not last year, and Mac Jones, he bought in and he took it to another level. I think it’s good that Mac at least had a year with Josh. Now the question is who will be calling the plays. Who will be running the offense. That’s the really big question for New England."