Mac Jones: I'm excited to work with Bill O'Brien, and "it's gonna be a great year"

BOSTON -- Mac Jones has been the subject of a lot of chatter this offseason, but he hasn't been heard from directly all that much.

That changed on Wednesday, when the Patriots quarterback visited the Boys & Girls Club of Metro South in Brockton and briefly caught up with WBZ-TV's Steve Burton.

Jones was asked for his thoughts on working with new offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

"Yeah I think we're all excited for this next year, and it just starts with putting your head down and going to work. We've got a great group of guys, and it's all about how you come together as a team -- players, coaches, everybody," Jones said. "So I'm excited to work with him and I know we all are. And it's gonna be a great year, we've just gotta put the work in."

Jones also gave a progress report on his offseason, as he enters his third season in the NFL.

"It's been good. I think it's important to just evaluate everything," Jones said. "Obviously, a day like today, it takes your mind off football and you get to enjoy the kids. But I've definitely been giving it a lot, just like every year, and just super excited to get back with the guys here soon and get to work."

While Jones has been putting in work this offseason, his trip to the Boys & Girls Club offered him a chance to step away from that grind for a day and make an impact with the local community.

"It's all about the kids for me," Jones said. "I do remember [being that young], and I think, I look at role models that I had. And hopefully I can be that for some people here today. And I'm sure some people were here last year, and you get to see them grow a little bit, and it's just cool to see kids turning into young adults. So I'm excited to see the kids, and just tell them to have fun and enjoy everything and focus on school and doing the right things and everything will work out."