Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman understands the gunslinger mentality better than most. He can see which passers are set to have great careers in the NFL and which could be in for a rude awakening.

Aikman, however, recently came under fire for his comments on former Alabama and current New England Patriots QB Mac Jones. That’ll usually happen when comparing a second-year player to a 7-time Super Bowl winner.

Last week, Aikman said that he can see similar traits in Jones that he saw in Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady. One of the main factors for the comparison is that Aikman knows that Jones has “everything you need to win in the NFL.”

Jones, who was selected 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, became a staple of New England’s success during his rookie campaign. Working on his consistency instead of highlight throws, Jones completed 67.6% of his throws for 3,801 and 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. New England finished 10-7 behind Jones’ arm, making it back to the postseason for the first time since Brady’s departure in 2020.

New England has questions entering Year 2 of the Jones era. The biggest comes on offense due to the departure of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Last season, Jones and McDaniels grew close on and off the field in a similar format to Brady and the OC during the 2010s.

With McDaniels now the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, Jones has regressed under the play-calling of former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patrica and former special teams coordinator Joe Judge. Aikman said that while there will be growing pains, New England must remain patient with Jones through the offensive transition.

“It seemed like he and Josh had a really great relationship,” Aikman told ESPN. “And that becomes hard because there’s so much that happens within a game, within a practice; there’s frustration, the quarterback’s taking the heat, they’re not doing this — to have a guy you can really confide in, there’s so much to that relationship that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet or even on game day. That’s going to be a hard position to fill, and a hard position for Mac to get comfortable.”

Jones and the Patriots will face former Alabama QB Tua Tagoviloa and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern time.