“ALERT! ALERT! KADLICK'S IN FOR HART ON THE SUNDAY 7!”
That’s right - with our good pal Andy Hart on a well-deserved vacation, we have yours truly on the Sunday 7 this week here at WEEI.com.
Here are 7 bite-sized topics about your New England Patriots to get you through this 2023 Father’s Day weekend:
1 - Jack Jones’ arrest
After waiting out the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes over the last 48 hours, another bombshell report came across the docket when Patriots cornerback Jack Jones was arrested on Friday afternoon for reportedly having two loaded firearms in his carry-on luggage at Logan Airport while trying to depart Boston following New England’s offseason program.
The 25-year old posted bail for $50,000 and will be arraigned next week in East Boston District Court.
The Patriots released the following statement on the news:
"We have been notified that Jack Jones was arrested at Logan Airport earlier today. We are in the process of gathering more information and will not be commenting further at this time.”
The full charges include two counts each of the following offenses (per Massachusetts State Police): possession of a concealed weapon in a secure area of the airport, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, and possession of a large-capacity feeding device.
fitzy & Kadlick - Jack Jones steps on his foot with inadvertently ironic tweet:
2 - What’s next at cornerback?
With Jack Jones’ future in New England clearly still a mystery, the Patriots’ cornerback room will be the focal point of training camp this summer.
Jalen Mills, who just moved over to safety this offseason, will be a prime candidate to fill in at boundary corner opposite rookie Christian Gonzalez.
Meanwhile Jonathan Jones, who played opposite Mills in 2022, was re-signed by New England this offseason but was thought of more as a depth piece, chess piece, and overall locker-room leader. Now? He may have to step into a key role following Friday evening's events at Logan Airport.
Moral of the story? A room once thought of as a strength for the Patriots is now a *collapsing* house of cards (shout out Andy) heading into the 2023 season... and it's only June 18th.
3 - Paintball or practice?
As he tends to do, head coach Bill Belichick canceled New England’s final minicamp practice on Wednesday, instead opting to take his team on a culture-building activity to Boston Paintball Maynard.
How do we know they went paintballing in Maynard, you ask? None other than cornerback Jack Jones, in a recently deleted Instagram post, sent out a photo of him and several of his teammates winning the team tournament.
Little did he know, he’d be facing a firearms arrest just three days later.
This sparks the question: does Belichick still have the leeway to schedule team bonding activities over potentially important minicamp practices?
This isn’t to say that it’s the reason Jones got in trouble for a gun charge, but more so a question of the lack of discipline that may be presiding over at One Patriots Place.
4 - The DeAndre Hopkins visit
Free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was in Foxborough this week for a two-day visit with the Patriots. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, he met with coach Bill Belichick for a lengthy period of time on Thursday and “appeared intrigued by the possibility of playing for New England and… Belichick.” Fowler also reported that he’s in no rush to sign, and according to Mike Reiss, "both sides are now expected to take some time to assess their next steps."
So should Hopkins and his agent play hard ball with Bill? You can read more about that HERE.
5 - Any WRs out?
Hopkins' visit to Foxborough will likely have many thinking: “Who should be the odd man out in the Patriots wide receiver room?”
The answer on no one.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who the Patriots signed this offseason, and second-year pass catcher Tyquan Thornton both nursed injuries during New England's offseason program and rarely touched grass during the team's on-field workouts. Meanwhile, rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas hardly impressed.
Because of this, veteran pass-catchers DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne were the de facto starters, with Bourne being the only “reliable” one of the bunch.
This would quickly makes Hopkins an insurance policy rather than a luxury for Mac Jones and the offense - should he sign a deal.
6 - Quarterback reps/competition
Tuesday’s final minicamp practice at Gillette Stadium not only featured special teamers Malik Cunningham, Brenden Schooler, Marcus Jones, and Ed Lee getting reps at their “true” rostered positions - but it also saw backup quarterback Bailey Zappe get reps with the Patriots' first-team offensive line and wide receivers.
No - this is not a quarterback competition. This was simply Bill Belichick, Bill O’Brien, and Co. emptying the bag on the final day of the offseason to let everyone get a piece of the pie prior to Summer break.
7 - Rodgers to the Patriots?
We’ll end it with a fun one. Earlier this week, WFAN’s Craig Carton reported that the Patriots "made an offer to the Green Bay Packers to get [QB] Aaron Rodgers, and when [he] heard it, his agent said ‘no we ain’t playing for New England, we want to be a Jet.’”
Do we buy it? Maybe.
Does it matter? Nope.
The Patriots are in position to shock the world this season with the additions of Bill O’Brien, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Mike Gesicki along with the return of a fringe top-5 defense.
This team has a motivated Mac Jones. They don't need Aaron Rodgers.
BONUS - More DHop recruitment?
Patriots defenders Matthew Judon and Mack Wilson tweeted the following on Saturday afternoon:
It likely means nothing, but it certainly put Patriots Nation in a frenzy. We'll see what happens this week.
In my opinion? Hopkins will be a Patriot by training camp.
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @WEEI for the latest up-to-date Patriots and Boston sports news!
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