Before the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers made a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to move into the top three picks in pursuit of a quarterback. At the time, the belief was that the 49ers were targeting former Alabama QB Mac Jones, but they eventually decided to draft North Dakota State’s QB Trey Lance.
Instead, Jones was drafted 12 picks later by the New England Patriots, but after just three years, the two appear to be parting ways. While Jones was a disappointment for the Patriots, numerous NFL coaches believe he would have led the 49ers to multiple Super Bowl wins by now.
49ers Win Multiple Titles With Mac Jones, Say Anonymous NFL Coaches
In an interview with DNVR Sports, James Palmer of NFL Network said various coaches at the 2024 NFL Combine told him that the 49ers would have the ability to win multiple Super Bowls with Jones as their quarterback.
“They think if he [Kyle Shanahan] took Mac at three, they would have won multiple Super Bowls by now,” Palmer said, citing what multiple coaches in Indianapolis told him in the after-hours of the NFL Scouting Combine.
Palmer mentioned that, when the 49ers infamously traded up for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Shanahan wanted to draft Jones but was talked out of it. The team eventually landed on Trey Lance because of his perceived higher upside.
After two disappointing seasons in San Francisco, Lance was eventually traded before the 2023 season to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The 49ers might have whiffed on trading a ton of draft capital to select Lance in 2021, but they eventually found their franchise quarterback with the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft in Brock Purdy. If not for their selection of Purdy, the Lance trade would have set the franchise far back.
Jones, on the other hand, has had an up-and-down three seasons in New England to start his career. After an impressive rookie campaign, Jones has struggled mightily the past two seasons and appears to be on his way out of New England this offseason.
With the Patriots, however, Jones has had a very underwhelming supporting cast, and his biggest supporters blame poor offensive coaching and his lackluster wide receivers as the two main reasons for his downfall in New England.
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There is reason to believe Jones could have had more success in a better situation, and from the standpoint of offensive weapons and coaching, the 49ers have been the complete opposite of the Patriots.
While it’s fair to say Jones would be off to a better career start under Shanahan, saying the 49ers would have won multiple Super Bowls right now is a very hot take — especially considering the presence of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
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