Rob Ninkovich, a two-time Super Bowl champion and cornerstone of the Patriots dynasty during the mid-2010s, is throwing the “Patriot Way” aside when referring to former New England quarterback Mac Jones.
“Look at freaking Mac Jones down in Jacksonville right now. He’s griddying all over the place,” Ninkovich said sarcastically on the “Dan and Ninko Show.”
Ninkovich was pointing out that Jones is having a great time competing against third-stringers, while his co-host Dan O’Brien said, “he does not like you,” implying there is mutual animosity between Ninkovich and the former first-round pick who was traded to Jacksonville this offseason to back up Trevor Lawrence.
“I don’t give a f–k,” Ninkovich said. “I’ll smack the s–t out of f–king Mac Jones. I don’t care. Do you care if somebody doesn’t like you?”
Ninkovich continued his expletive-filled rant by criticizing Jones’ lack of leadership skills.
“I couldn’t listen to, ‘Yeah, you know, I’ve just got to keep working and got to get better and, um, you know, I’m just going to keep working hard, and we’re just … everybody together and um, yeah, it’s wasn’t my best and I’ve got to be better’ over and over and over and over again,” Ninkovich said.
“I’d rather listen to Drake Maye talk than, ‘Yeah, my modeling career didn’t work out, so, um, now I’m back down here in Jacksonville.’”
Jones seemed to regress in three seasons with the Patriots after a strong rookie campaign under coach Bill Belichick in 2021.
Jones was benched multiple times last season for Bailey Zappe and ended the season in a backup role.
The Patriots shipped him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick in March before drafting Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to be the future of the franchise.
Jones threw for 8,918 yards, 46 touchdowns and 36 interceptions while being unable to uphold the team’s winning tradition with his 18-24 record.
Ninkovich, a two-time champion, was a fifth-round pick by the Saints in 2006 and bounced around between New Orleans and Miami.
He did not make the Saints’ final roster in 2009 before his life changed as New England came calling, and he became a Super Bowl winner and starter for a loaded defense during his tenure lasting until 2016.
The Patriots won’t start the season Sunday on the road against the Bengals with Maye behind center, opting for Jacoby Brissett behind a terrible offensive line.
