New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has made the most of his first offseason as a professional athlete. He spent a lot of time in the weight room, cleaned up his diet and completing transformed his body.

Jones has hosted a number of workouts with his wide receivers across the country, similar to a Patriots quarterback that played before him. He got together with Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, JJ Taylor and with newly acquired wide receiver DeVante Parker down in Tampa Bay in April. Jones had another throwing session last week with Agholor and minicamp standout, Tre Nixon, this time out in Carlsbad, California with training camp around the corner.

His work ethic has made an impression on center, David Andrews. He spoke on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and reacted to the offseason Jones has been having.

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“The kid’s a hard worker” Andrews said. “He works his butt off, day in and day out. Sometimes I just try to get him to take a deep breath. But that’s what you want out of your quarterback. He works really hard. He’s a tough kid. It’s been fun for me the last year, year and a half, to get to know him. I’ve got a lot of respect for how he does things and how he carries himself.”

Jones is coming off an exceptional rookie season where he set the Patriots rookie record for passing yards (3,801) and touchdowns (22). He was the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to complete 80% of his passes in back-to-back games. Jones guided New England on a seven-game winning streak that began on Oct. 24 and back to the playoffs after missing them in 2020.

The 23-year-old quarterback has received high praise from his teammates throughout the offseason. Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith appeared on NFL Network's Good Morning Football in June and was asked what impresses him about his quarterback.

“Honestly, just the way he can turn it on,” Smith said. “Mac is one of the most goofiest guys in the locker room, but he is a different character when he steps on the field. Once he flips on that switch, he’s a different person. Not many guys can do that. He has so much swagger. I love catching passes from him. That is my guy.”

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Jones is in a prime position to become only the third Patriots player to become a team captain in his second-year during Bill Belichick's tenure in New England. The former Alabama quarterback has leadership qualities you rarely see in young players.

“He's a young guy but he's developed as a leader. That's what this team needs," said Parker.

The Patriots will report for training camp on July 26, with the first open practice set for July 27.

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