As we’ve already said, Brock Purdy is the starter, Mac Jones is the backup. Those two are certainties for 2025. And when it seems like Purdy may have a shot at returning in Week 3, that might mean the extended look of Jones against a better team (read: anyone but the New Orleans Saints) will have to wait.
But that doesn’t dismiss the fact that Jones did play well against the Saints. If he gets a Week 3 start or a few more starts this season and plays just as efficiently, that could mean an interesting and possibly tough decision for the 49ers.
And that’s if they should trade him in the 2026 offseason.
Unless Purdy is out for a season and a half and Jones wins two Super Bowls, Purdy isn’t going anywhere. Jones does a great job running Kyle Shanahan’s offense, but Purdy’s elusiveness helps it run even better. There were moments on Sunday when you could see Purdy taking off in a scramble. And it’s the same thing he has done, except when his entire offense is injured (see, 2024 season).
Jones was a first-round pick who regressed after a decent rookie season. This regression wasn’t so much from his offense being injured like Purdy’s was.. Things change. If Jones continues to play like he did in New Orleans, we won’t be the only ones watching; NFL front offices will, too.
Jones is in the first year of a two-year contract. His second year pays an estimated $1.4 million per year and an estimated cap hit of $2.2 million when you factor in bonuses and such. That’s a pretty good situation for a quarterback who has already gotten his feet wet in the league. That means any team wanting to do a trade gets a 28-year-old Jones when the season starts, for one year, on that salary, plus the rights extend. Pretty good deal for an aspiring team in need of a quarterback to bring everything together or just build a Shanahan system around.
And that offense isn’t the easiest to run—just ask CJ Beathard, Nick Mullens, or any of the other “plug and play” quarterbacks you heard about. More starts, and Jones shows he can run that. This means any team trying to run their own Shanahan system can go get Jones, and Jones doesn’t need to learn the offense. He won’t be a raw rookie figuring it out; he’s a player who just needs structure in place (see Smith, Alex).
So if Jones continues to play well, this opens up a very attractive trade package for a team. Sure, they could just wait until he comes to free agency, but then that turns into a competition with other teams. A draft pick removes that.
So why is there a decision here? Well, the 49ers have to decide if they want to give up their backup quarterback. If Jones plays like I’ve described, he’ll be gone after his deal ends anyway, since he’ll want to start somewhere, and a team will be mutually wanting him. The 49ers planned this with Kirk Cousins when Shanahan first arrived, then Jimmy Garoppolo happened. The point is, if he does play like a team wanting to give up a draft pick, they may also want to wait until he gets to free agency one year later. This isn’t a five-year deal after all.
Which then (hopefully) means compensatory picks are on their way for the 49ers. This lets them keep their backup for a second season, and if he is that good, they can get picks back in the draft anyway.
And maybe keeping Jones as a backup for one more year is the smart play. Aside from 2023, Brock Purdy has yet to finish an entire NFL Season (and 2023 doesn’t count since the last game of the season was played without Purdy, but it was a meaningless game when the 49ers had their playoff seeding solidified), and the 49ers need to have a strong backup in place when Purdy gets hit the wrong way. With Jones, the 49ers are 2-0 for the 2026 season, weathering the storm until they can get Purdy, Aiyuk, and others back. Can you imagine what the Saints game would have been like if Jones wasn’t there? No shade to Josh Dobbs or Brandon Allen, but have they run the offense as efficiently?
Regardless, there’s really no wrong for the 49ers if Jones continues to play well. There won’t be a quarterback controversy, just potential returns on investment. Worst-case scenario from this? It’s a middling comp pick.
If Jones continues to play well, would you trade him or hold onto him for one more season?
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