It was easy to write off Mac Jones completely. After a disastrous end to his tenure with the New England Patriots, many believed that his time in the league was coming to an end. However, the San Francisco 49ers gave him an opportunity in a backup role to Brock Purdy.
Last season, as the former last pick in the draft dealt with a turf toe injury, Jones got the starting nod for a large chunk of the season. Now, he might be the prime trade candidate for a QB-needy team in the NFL.
Mike Florio Says Mac Jones’ Stay at 49ers Might Be Short
With the quarterback position still remaining a major area of need for various rosters across the league, the demand for a quality star under center is still at a peak. Jones, fresh off one of the best seasons of his career, could fill that need for a lot of lineups.
Even though Mike Florio of NBC Sports believes Jones will remain with San Francisco heading into the season, he doesn’t have high hopes that it will continue to remain the case as we head deeper into the year.
Speaking for Pro Football Talk, when asked about whether Jones will be traded, he explained, “Well, right now it appears that he will. I think he’s a guy who potentially could be traded to a team that acquires a need at the quarterback position between Week 1 and the Tuesday after Week 9, because who knows who’s going to get injured.”
Given the violent and physical nature of the NFL, Florio was sure that it was a legitimate possibility. “There was a year, what was it, 2023, they were dropping like flies. Some years, the injuries to starting quarterbacks are minimal, but that may be when the window opens for someone to trade for Mac Jones.”
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However, he couldn’t foresee an injury before the start of the season that would force a team to make such a desperate trade. “And if the injury happens in training camp or the preseason, now, quarterback injuries are typically rare in training camp because the quarterback can’t be touched,” Florio argued, before providing one specific exception.
“I remember, what was it now, eight, nine years ago, Ryan Tannehill had the ACL partial tear from the prior year, they didn’t get surgery on it, and he tore it the rest of the way during training camp, but other than that, it doesn’t happen very often.”
As a result, he still believed a trade before the season might be a stretch. “Preseason, we don’t see a whole lot of the starters, get them out of there before they get injured, so I think an injury is the thing that would cause a team to make a move for Mac Jones.”
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It remains to be seen if a team pulls the trigger on bringing in Jones. After an exceptional rookie season, it seemed like his time as a starting-caliber NFL quarterback had come to a close on the Patriots.
But last season, he showed his value on the 49ers without Purdy, putting up 2,151 passing yards while completing nearly 70% of his passes in 11 games. He also threw 13 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 97.4.
As a result, he finished at number 12 on PFSN’s QB Impact, ahead of established stars like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert. Simply put, the year has significantly improved his stock and has shown that he can still make meaningful contributions with the right pieces around him.
In case of a quarterback injury, that might be enough for some teams to potentially make a play for some stability in the next great reclamation project at QB in the league.
