Patriots' Mac Jones wants to 'have fun' after rough 2022 season

Quarterback Mac Jones understands he's entering the most important season, to date, of his young career but also wants those inside the New England Patriots' locker room to enjoy their jobs. 

"Yeah, I think it always stems from winning, right? To win, you have to do a lot of really good things consistently, all the time I feel like I need to do that better, just try to lead the team more so from the mental side and all that stuff," Jones explained on Thursday, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "Obviously, the plays and the physical stuff is there; I just have to go out there and try and lead. Really, for me, I’ve always kind of been a fun person, in my opinion." 

Jones visibly did not have fun throughout portions of the 2022 season as the offense struggled under then-assistant coaches Matt Patricia and Joe Judge. The 2021 first-round draft pick has more recently spoken about embracing a "fresh start" working with head coach Bill Belichick and new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, and Jones revealed during an NFL Network appearance this week he focused on improving his leadership qualities this offseason. 

It appears part of that work included putting smiles on the faces of his teammates. 

"But, that’s why people like to play with me, you know? Because we like to go out there, and have fun and compete," Jones continued. "So, I just have to be consistent there. I feel like sometimes if I’m not consistent, you can tell, and that’s something that I’m trying to work on. So, I’m just trying to stay the course, but at the same time, have fun and then when bad things happen, just accept it and kind of move on."