Week 5 of the 2025 NFL regular season got off to a scintillating start, with the undermanned San Francisco 49ers taking down the Los Angeles Rams on the road in one of the best games of the season so far. Kyle Shanahan coached an incredible game, with Mac Jones playing at an elite level in place of Brock Purdy.

Jones played so well that some are wondering if a quarterback controversy could be brewing. While that’s extremely unlikely, it does beg the question whether the New England Patriots made a mistake giving up on Jones after only three seasons. The team moved on from him at the same time Bill Belichick moved on from the NFL. Jones’ college head coach, Nick Saban, believes the quarterback was always capable of success, and Belichick may have played a role in his poor start.

Nick Saban suggests Bill Belichick failed Mac Jones in New England

Saban believes Jones was failed early in his career by Belichick’s Patriots, with too many changes and turmoil playing a pivotal role in Jones flaming out there.

Saban seemed to be talking mainly about the Patriots’ offensive coordinator situation during Jones’ three seasons there. Jones had to go through three different OCs in those three seasons, starting with Josh McDaniels in 2021, a combination of Joe Judge and Matt Patricia in 2022, and Bill O’Brien in 2023.

While Saban wasn’t speaking directly about Belichick, he was the one who made the decisions to name those people his offensive coordinators. McDaniels did a fine job, with Jones actually making the Pro Bowl that year. The other two were disasters, and Jones ended up getting traded after 2023.

Now in a quarterback-friendly system under Shanahan, Jones is showcasing that he always had the talent to succeed in the NFL. Saban clearly feels that Belichick let him down during their time together in New England.