For all those who wonder how Mac Jones will fare with a new offensive play-caller and a good-not-great receiving corps, others have thrown themselves fully onto a Mac Jones hype train that is building toward runaway speed.
In fact, NFL Network insider Peter Schrager of "Good Morning, Football!" thinks there's a chance Jones could even be one of the best players in the league in 2022.
"I said earlier this off-season [when asked to] give us a dark-horse MVP candidate, 'What about Mac Jones?'" the host recalled on Tuesday's show, noting he was laughed at for making that suggestion.
After all, how can Jones hope to build on his strong rookie year with Matt Patricia serving (potentially) as the primary successor to long-time offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Kendrick Bourne possibly being the team's best pass-catcher?
But such detractors aren't swaying Schrager, who remains bullish on the way Jones came into training camp last season and won both the starting quarterback job and the locker room in short order.
"As much as we're hyping Trey Lance, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and of course Justin Fields in Year 2…don't take Mac for granted. This guy could take a major leap in Year 2.
"There's a tiny corner in sports media, very small corner, and I'd like to think that I'm a part of it right now. It includes [NFL Network reporter] Mike Giardi up there in New England, Bill Simmons, and his nephew Kyle. We are the Mac Jones corner."
Of course, Schrager and those select media members aren't completely alone in that regard. Several of Jones' teammates, including Jonnu Smith most recently, have heaped praise on the young quarterback's command of the huddle and leadership so far in his second season.
"He has so much ability. So much dog in him," Smith said on Monday's "GMFB" segment of Jones, who said can be the "goofiest guy around" at times. "When he flips that switch, he's a different person. That's my guy."
"What if the Patriots are the team that goes 14-3 this year? What if the Patriots are the team that finishes first in the AFC East?" Schrager added on Tuesday.
"Mac Jones is why I've got confidence this team can be a contender because as a rookie, out of the gates, he was awesome. How do we know that's the ceiling? He's lost 15 pounds. He's in a good place mentally. His teammates love him."
The reality, of course, is that Jones' performance will likely land somewhere between the detractions and the over-the-top hype.
It's difficult to see Jones competing for an MVP award next to the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers, and some don't even believe Jones will have the best season among the second-year quarterbacks from last year's much-ballyhooed class.
But are Jones and the Patriots doomed because they're shifting their offensive coaching or didn't revamp their receiver room outside of DeVante Parker and Tyquan Thornton? The short answer: no.
Jones will certainly have more expected of him in Year 2, and he'll need to deliver if the Patriots are to keep pace with the rest of the division. Getting this team probably still wouldn't make him an MVP, but it would be an impressive accomplishment nonetheless.
