FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — As if the 2023 season hadn’t gone poorly enough for Mac Jones, he was demoted one more time in the Patriots’ Week 18 loss to the Jets.

Jones, who began the season as the Patriots’ starting quarterback before being moved down to No. 2 on the depth chart in Week 13, was suddenly inactive as the team’s emergency third quarterback on Sunday. Bailey Zappe started while Nathan Rourke, who joined the team prior to Week 16, was second string.

The move was not a major surprise based on how practice reps were divvied up during the week, according to sources. The quarterbacks did not find out who was going to be Zappe’s backup until inactives were announced before the game, however. Head coach Bill Belichick said after Sunday’s game that Rourke had a good week of practice.

Jones, who hasn’t spoken to the media since Week 12, met with reporters Monday during the Patriots’ locker room cleanup.

“Look, I’ve started a lot of games in this league, and I’ve been very fortunate for that,” Jones said Monday. “I look at it as a positive, being able to stay healthy at the end of the year and finish the year on a healthy note. Definitely a different situation.”

Jones was asked if he viewed it as a positive that he was demoted to third string since it allowed him to finish the season healthy.

“Just grateful to have played so many games here and started games here,” Jones said. “It’s different, right? It’s a different situation. It’s tough, but I always want to be able to help the team, whether I’m 1, 2 or 3. And I feel like that’s the valuable lesson is that I’m a team player. Like I said, I have a lot of respect for the guys in this room and I have a lot of close friends that I’ll be friends with for my whole life.”

Jones never truly opened up during Monday morning’s media session, choosing not to directly answer questions about whether he would welcome a change of scenery or about what he felt like what went wrong in what was expected to be a bounce-back season.

Jones does sound open to a return to the Patriots. He’s currently under contract through the 2024 season. The Patriots must decide whether or not they’re going to pick up the fifth-year option in his rookie contract that would lock him up through the 2025 season. That seems extremely unlikely based on how Jones performed over the last season season.

The Patriots own the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the right quarterback is there, it would be wise for the Patriots to start over with a new franchise player.

“I feel like I let people down with my play and a lot of that stuff is in my control and some of it’s not,” Jones said. “So I’m going to do everything I can for my next opportunity whether that’s here and really just push forward and continue to be Mac. That’s what it’s all about. And don’t let that waver.”

DAVID ANDREWS is tired, sore, and headed home to Georgia to think about his future.

While Andrews said Sunday he still feels like has has something left in the tank following the season-ending loss to the Jets, the Patriots captain reiterated Monday he was going to take some time to ponder his next move.

“It’s hard. You never want to make a decision right after the year,” Andrews told reporters gathered around his locker. “So I’m just going to get away, relax a little bit, and figure it out. Start training. See how I feel. And go from there.”

Along with his health, Andrews told MassLive.com he’d be weighing several factors. Included in the mix was whether Belichick remains as the Patriots head coach.

“That’s probably somewhere on the list,” Andrews said of the upcoming Belichick decision. “I just have so much appreciation for him.

“Obviously, I’ve played a lot of football with coach. I’m very appreciative. I know what’s expected. I think we see the game very similar, how we want to try and play the game. So it’s very comfortable for me. He taught me how to play the game. So we’ll see.”

Andrews, 31, has one year remaining on his contract before becoming a free agent in 2025. He finished his ninth season playing every offensive snap in 2023. After a 4-13 season, Andrews is going to take a deep breath, and see where the offseason takes him.

The veteran center would love to see Belichick return as the head coach, but knows that’s out of his control. So he’s just going to take the news as it comes.

“I love playing here. I love being a part of the New England Patriots. Hopefully that’s where I get to finish my career,” he said. “Not a lot of people get to walk away on their own terms. I love playing here. I love being here. I love being part of this community. I love the organization. We’ve built our life here. We stay here year-round for the most part … hopefully I get to leave on my own terms one day. Hopefully it’s in this uniform.”

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