Jaguars

Patriots To Trade Mac Jones

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The New England Patriots continue to clean house as ESPN reports the team intends to trade embattled quarterback Mac Jones. Pending a physical, Jones will head to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick. In Jacksonville, he will compete to be the primary backup for fellow 2021 first-round pick Trevor Lawrence. The trade, which cannot be finalized until the new NFL year starts on Wednesday, ends a tumultuous three years in Foxboro for Jones. Despite making waves late in his college career at Alabama, many experts were surprised to see the Patriots take him 15th overall in 2021.

Jones threw for nearly 4000 yards in his rookie year before drastically declining. He failed to surpass 3000 yards in his sophomore season and was benched for Bailey Zappe after 11 games of the 2023 season. While Jones’ development was undoubtedly affected by the departure of Josh McDaniels, he also suffered from the Alabama Curse. Teams continue to seemingly overvalue Crimson Tide QBs, often putting undue pressure on players at the NFL level. The Patriots are expected to take a quarterback with the third-overall pick in this year’s draft.

Read More: Damar Hamlin Surviving First Round Of Bills Roster Cuts Garners Mixed Reactions From Fans

Saints Extend Tyrann Mathieu

Elsewhere, the New Orleans Saints have extended Tyrann Mathieu, giving Honey Badger two more years in the Big Easy. The contract, as mentioned, is for two years and totals $13M. In 2023, Mathieu had 75 tackles (50 solo) and four interceptions. This put him joint-fifth in tackles and joint-first in interceptions on a team that finished 9-8 on the season but missed out on the playoffs due to tiebreakers. The Saints are facing the daunting task of navigating an offseason that sees them nearly $69M over the salary cap despite the historic increase of $30.6M.

Mathieu enters his third season with the Saints. He began his career in 2013 as a third-round pick for the Cardinals. However, he left Arizona for Houston in 2018 before joining Kansas City a year later. He was a major contributor to the start of the Patrick Mahomes dynasty before leaving for New Orleans in 2022. Mathieu has 775 tackles and 33 interceptions for 501 yards and 4 touchdowns across his decade-plus in the league.

Read More: Ex-NFLer To Sell Richard Pryor’s Former Home For Staggering Amount

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Panthers Owner Fined After Throwing Drink At Jags Fan

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The NFL has fined Panthers owner David Tepper $300K after he was spotted throwing a drink at Jags fans from his open-air suite. The moment came as the Panthers were shut out 26-0 by the hometown Jags. The team was playing without Trevor Lawrence for the first time since they drafted him. “I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the League’s discipline for my behavior,” Tepper said in a statement. The video was originally uploaded to social media by a Jags fan in a nearby suite. However, as the league’s second-richest owner, the fine is 0.000001% of his net worth.

The loss ended the Panthers’ 342-game streak without a shutout. Furthermore, it is one of the lowest points in an overall terrible season. Despite grabbing Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 Draft, the team started 0-5 and currently sit at 2-14. Tepper fired head coach Frank Reich earlier in the season, the third head coach Tepper has dismissed since buying the team in 2018. Of course, chants of “sell the team” could be heard intermittently throughout the game. On the field, the Panthers generated less than 200 yards of total offense.

Read More: Panthers Tickets Are Less Than A Dollar On The Resale Market

Panthers Secure First Overall Pick…For The Bears

Furthermore, the shutout loss means that the Panthers secured the first-overall pick in the 2024 Draft. However, thanks to the trade that landed them Young, the Bears will pick at No. 1 instead when April rolls around. If the Bears opt to stick with Justin Fields, the NFL could see Chicago trade the No. 1 pick for the second year in a row. Furthermore, the 7-9 Bears are expected to have a top-10 selection with their own natural 2024 pick.

As with the 2023 Draft, quarterbacks are expected to head the first few picks. Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels (LSU) are all expected to be off the board in the first three picks. Furthermore, J.J. McCarthy (Michigan) and Michael Penix Jr (Washington) could sneak into the first round. Given the latest draft projections, this will likely see Chicago, Washington, and New England debut rookie starters in 2024.

Read More: Deion Sanders Wants The Falcons To Draft Both His Sons

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Ex-Jaguars Employee Accused Of Stealing $22M From Team

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A former employee of the Jacksonville Jaguars has been accused of stealing over $22M from the team. Amit Patel was charged with wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions. The charges state that Patel, who worked in the Jags’ finance department, manipulated the team’s virtual credit card system to fund “lavish personal purchases”. Purchases include a luxury condo, a Tesla, cryptocurrency, private jet charters, and luxury watches.

“We can confirm that in February 2023, the team terminated the employment of the individual named in the filing. Over the past several months we have cooperated fully with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida during their investigation and thank them for their efforts in this case. As was made clear in the charges, this individual was a former manager of financial planning and analysis who took advantage of his trusted position to covertly and intentionally commit significant fraudulent financial activity at the team’s expense for personal benefit. This individual had no access to confidential football strategy, personnel, or other football information,” the team said in a statement.

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Former Jaguar Sergio Brown Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Charge

Meanwhile, another ex-Jag is facing a legal battle of his own. Sergio Brown, who played for the Jags in 2015, has entered a not-guilty plea on the charge of murdering his mother, Myrtle. Brown reportedly entered his plea on Wednesday while remanded in custody at a jail in Illinois. He will be due back in court later this month. Brown and his mother were reported missing in September, only for his mother’s body to be discovered beside a creek near their Illinois home. Brown remained missing for a few days until he began posting concerning videos from Mexico. He was eventually detained in Mexico and extradited to the United States.

Brown was a starting safety for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish but went undrafted in 2010. However, he was later signed by the Patriots and would play nearly 100 games over the next seven seasons, although he would only ever start 15 games. He retired in 2016 following a brief stint with the Bills. Finishing his career with 144 tackles, Brown also played for the Colts and Jags. His time with the Bills came after a training camp with the Falcons.

Read More: Marcellus Wiley, Ex-NFLer And Former ESPN Analyst, Accused Of Rape

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