Patriots QB Mac Jones gifted his offensive line Bitcoin for Christmas

• Patriots quarterback Mac Jones is the front-runner to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
• For Christmas, Jones gifted his offensive linemen Bitcoin as a way to say thank you for protecting him.

Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones is having quite a year.

Having led New England to a 9-6 record heading into the final games of the season, Jones is the front-runner to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Jones couldn't do it alone, and decided to celebrate the holiday season by giving his offensive linemen the gift of Bitcoin.

"I've been studying Bitcoin for a while now," Jones said, per Bitcoin Magazine, which helped the Patriots quarterback in gifting his teammates with cryptocurrency. "This year, I just knew I had to give some Bitcoin to my teammates, so I reached out to Bitcoin Magazine and asked for help on how to give Bitcoin as a gift."

The Bitcoin Magazine story did not specify how much Bitcoin Jones gifted to his linemen, or how much of the cost of the Bitcoin was specifically covered by Jones, but did say that 12 of his Patriots teammates were included in the giveaway. As of Monday, one Bitcoin was worth roughly $51,500.

In addition to the actual Bitcoin, Jones also gifted his linemen subscriptions to the magazine as well as passes to an upcoming Bitcoin conference.

According to one lineman, the gift was appreciated.

"He did an outstanding job. We got a big haul over here," said lineman Ted Karras, speaking with reporters on Friday.

"One of the best efforts, especially by a rookie, to show appreciation and wish us a Merry Christmas. So, very thankful to him and very glad to be his teammate here in this Christmas season."

Jones is far from the only athlete to promote cryptocurrencies this year. When Tom Brady had to negotiate an historic football away from a fan earlier in the year, he gifted one Bitcoin to the fan as a way of saying thank you. Additionally, several other NFL players, including Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Rodgers have linked up with crypto companies to promote giveaways and convert portions of their annual salaries to cryptocurrency.

The Patriots offensive line has undoubtedly earned their gift, with Jones only suffering 25 sacks so far this season, well below the league average through 16 weeks of action.

New England is set to finish out the season with games against the Jaguars and Dolphins, with a shot at taking the AFC East division title should they win out.