Alabama football will have three starting quarterbacks in the NFL
Mac Jones waited his turn when he joined Alabama football. After two full seasons of riding the bench, he finally got an opportunity as a junior when Tua Tagovailoa went down with an injury. The next season, he led the Tide to the championship and won a second title. His wait in New England is officially over.
The Patriots have had a debate regarding the quarterback position since drafting Jones. They brought back Cam Newton, their starter last season, and let him start for the preseason. On the final day of cuts before the NFL season, they released the former NFL MVP. That leaves Mac Jones to be the starter in his first official game as an NFL quarterback.
Jones will start for the Patriots in the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. This means that Jones will face off against his former Alabama football teammate Tua Tagovailoa. With these two now starting for divisional rivals, we should see plenty of matchups between them over the next few seasons.
Jones also faced off against the Eagles in the preseason. Philly has Alabama football’s Jalen Hurts under center, but he missed the game due to a non-COVID-related illness. These teams will rarely play each other since the Eagles are in a different conference.
Alabama football now has three former quarterbacks starting for NFL teams. Bryce Young will likely be the fourth after a few seasons in Tuscaloosa, proving that the Tide can now churn out NFL talent at the quarterback position.
Jones earned the starting job for his play on the field and his leadership off of it. He won over the locker room, and almost every drive he commanded in the preseason led to points. Since he is a younger player on a rookie contract, the Patriots can build around him for the next few seasons.
We’ll see Jones’s NFL career truly start in September, and Alabama football fans hope he makes the most of his opportunity.