Bill O’Brien was supposed to be the cure for what ailed Mac Jones in the 2022 NFL season.

Instead, the former Alabama All-American’s completion and touchdown rates and his average gain per pass and per completion went down and his interception rate went up in 2023 under a new offensive coordinator.

After starting every game for the New England Patriots when healthy since joining the NFL team as the 15th pick in the 2021 draft, Jones hasn’t taken a snap in the past four.

With the AFC’s worst record at 2-9, the Patriots chose to go with Bailey Zappe at quarterback after a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants on Nov. 26. They’ve won two of their four games since.

On Tuesday, O’Brien said he hadn’t given up on Jones.

“I feel good about Mac Jones,” O’Brien said. “I really do. I think Mac Jones is a smart guy. He’s a very hard-worker. He’s really done a good job in this situation here of being a good teammate.

“You know, look, these are things that happen in the course of a lot of careers. Right? You have some ups and downs, and he’s approached it the right way. He’s working hard. I believe in Mac, so I think Mac’s going to be just fine.”

Jones has another season remaining on the fully guaranteed, four-year, $15.586 million contract that he signed as a rookie. He has a $2.785 million salary for the 2024 season.

As a rookie, Jones played in the postseason and the Pro Bowl. He completed 352-of-521 passes for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions for a 92.5 passing-efficiency rating. He finished second in the voting for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award as New England posted a 10-7 regular-season record before losing 47-17 to the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the AFC playoffs.

New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left to become the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders after the 2021 season, and Jones’ production declined in his second NFL season, when former Patriots offensive coordinator Matt Patricia called the plays.

In 2022, Jones completed 288-of-442 passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a passing-efficiency rating of 84.8. Jones missed three games and most of another because of an ankle injury as New England went 8-9.

After the 2022 season, the Patriots hired Alabama’s offensive coordinator that role this season, but O’Brien’s arrival failed to spark improved play from Jones in 2023.

This season, Jones has completed 224-of-345 passes for 2,120 yards with 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a passing-efficiency rating of 77.0.

Zappe has completed 99-of-156 passes for 975 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions for a passing-efficiency rating of 83.1 in 2023.

“Bailey’s a very consistent guy,” O’Brien said on Tuesday. “He’s calm; he’s poised. He’s got that. What he doesn’t have is experience. He’s gaining experience. I’m not saying he doesn’t have any experience, but you cannot discount experience and what that means to your career. The more reps you get in practice or the more reps you get in a game, obviously, that means a lot to your career if you take advantage of it, and that’s something Zap has done a good job of.”

Zappe had relieved Jones twice in 2023 when he took the field for the Patriots’ final series against the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 12. But in that case, New England still had an opportunity to win the game, although Zappe’s two-minute drill didn’t produce any points and the Patriots lost 10-6.

Even after that no-confidence vote, Jones remained the starter against the Giants. But he and Zappe played one half apiece in that game.

With five of Jones’ previous 102 passes resulting in interceptions, New England turned to the backup as the starter at quarterback for a 6-0 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 3.

Despite the shutout loss, Zappe stayed in the lineup and the Patriots defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-18 on Dec. 7. After a 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 17, New England defeated the Denver Broncos 26-23 on Saturday on Chad Ryland’s 56-yard field goal with two seconds to play.

The 4-11 Patriots have two games remaining in their 2023 season – on the road against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 31 and at home against the New York Jets on Jan. 7.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.