Mac Jones is going to start the 2026 season as the San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback. He may not finish it that way.
Per ProFootballRumors, Jones is expected to open the year behind Brock Purdy in San Francisco, but there are already rumblings that he could become an in-season trade candidate. The 49ers picked up Jones as veteran insurance during the offseason, and they would likely move him if a quarterback-needy team came calling.
Why is this happening? Because the 49ers have an excellent quarterback already in Purdy, and Jones provides almost no scheme fit advantage if Purdy goes down. The 49ers system is built around Purdy’s specific skill set. Any backup would have to adjust, but Jones is a particularly difficult fit because of his style of play.
The 49ers also have a younger quarterback they want to develop. If they invest in a Day 3 pick at the position in the upcoming draft cycle, Jones becomes redundant. He would be carrying a meaningful salary for a player who is essentially a third option in case of catastrophic injury.
From the league perspective, the demand for quarterbacks always picks up during the season. Injuries are inevitable. Teams that lose their starter at the trade deadline or shortly after often scramble for a competent veteran to keep the season alive. Jones, while not a star, has a long track record of NFL starts and could be a viable bridge for a couple of games.
He has reportedly been a great teammate in San Francisco. He has bought into the backup role, helped Purdy with film study, and worked hard in practice. None of that changes the fact that his market value as a backup is limited and his ceiling is capped.
The teams most likely to call on Jones if a quarterback need arises include the Jacksonville Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence’s injury history is real), the Indianapolis Colts (Anthony Richardson’s future is uncertain), and the Carolina Panthers (Bryce Young is still a question mark). All three would happily pay a low-cost trade price for a competent veteran.
The 49ers have a clear track record of moving veteran players for draft picks when the opportunity arises. They are not sentimental about backups. If a team offers a fifth-round pick for Jones in October, the deal probably gets done.
What Jones gets out of the situation is harder to read. He may not want to be traded. He has a good situation in San Francisco with a great coaching staff. If he ends up backing up a young or unproven starter on another team, he might find himself in line for spot starts and a chance to rebuild his career. That is appealing in its own way.
From Purdy’s side, this is not really his story to tell. He is the unquestioned starter. He has a long-term contract. He is going to play 17 games and lead the 49ers to a deep playoff run. Jones is irrelevant to his own career trajectory.
The 49ers themselves will not say anything publicly. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are notoriously cautious about how they discuss roster moves. But the internal acknowledgment is that Jones is a movable asset, and the timing of any trade would depend on league-wide demand.
Expect at least one quarterback need to emerge by mid-October. When that happens, Mac Jones is one of the first names that gets discussed. Whether the 49ers actually pull the trigger depends on the price and the timing.
He starts the season in San Francisco. He may not be there in November.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
