Why trading Mac Jones would be a big mistake by 49ers

SANTA CLARA — It didn’t take long for coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to get asked Wednesday about one of the most intriguing questions of the offseason for the 49ers.

The first query was about injuries, a season-long theme both in terms of hard luck and overcoming adversity in a 13-6 season that included a wild-card playoff win.

The second was about a possible trade of quarterback Mac Jones.

It went about as expected.

“As any player on our team, including myself and John, you always listen to people with trade offers,” Shanahan said. “We’re also not into getting rid of good players. So I’d be surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year.”

Lynch was a little more expansive, talking about how Jones picked up the 49ers, going 5-3 when Brock Purdy was sidelined with turf toe, plus Jones’ impact as a locker room leader.

“The biggest thing he did, when we needed him, he went in there and won us a lot of football games and kept us in this thing,” Lynch said. “You always listen (to trade offers), but I know we’re a better team with Mac Jones on our roster.”

So there you have it. Jones goes nowhere. Either that or Shanahan and Lynch were driving up the price for a quarterback who could be on the radar of a handful of teams looking for a new starter in 2026.

The 49ers could use Jones and their own first-round pick (No. 27)  to take a quantum leap in the first round to the top-10 range. Or get multiple selections in return. But if it’s just a garden variety third- or fourth-round pick for the guy who saved their season, it’s not nearly enough.

Jones will let the situation play itself out because he has no choice and is in a no-lose situation.

“In a way, I had two seasons in one,” Jones said Monday as the 49ers cleaned out their lockers. “I had a season as a starter, kind of, and a season as a backup, so it was really good for me. Had a lot of fun and I’m excited for what’s next. I’m on a two-year deal but I do believe I’m a starter in this league and am excited to get better this offseason and see what happens.”

This is how former 49ers quarterback and Hall of Famer Steve Young put it during his final weekly appearance on KNBR-680: “Mac showed up out of nowhere and won a bunch of games when the season could have gone down the toilet.”

If the 49ers are smart, they’ll keep Jones around for a second season in case there’s another season to be rescued. Either that or depend on a backup who is a backup for a reason such as Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen in 2024. Jones has been retrained and reprogrammed to Shanahan’s specifications. They won’t find anyone better.

The 49ers have the best 1-2 quarterback punch in the NFL at the most important position in professional sports. Purdy is the understated former seventh-round draft pick whose wardrobe looks like something out of a Timberland catalog. Jones is more outgoing, has a silly laugh and is a former first-round pick who wears garish suits on game day.

And they mesh perfectly.

Purdy and Jones became just the fourth set of quarterbacks to each pass for more than 2,000 yards in the same season, joining Trent Green and Kurt Warner (2000) of the Rams, Mark Sanchez and Nick Foles (2014) of the Eagles and Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick of the Bucs (2018).

The presence of Jones meant the 49ers didn’t have to mail in their season in the wake of early injuries to George Kittle, Purdy, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. You won’t find a 2025 first-round draft pick who had that kind of responsibility or production.

Shanahan always coveted Kirk Cousins going back to his days as a Washington offensive coordinator, and in Jones, he has someone cut from the same cloth. A smart, stand-and-deliver processor of information that is not overly mobile but can execute the offense to a high degree. And he’s paired with a starter in Purdy that is Jones’ equal in terms of processing and much better on his feet.

The only thing that replaces a top-level quarterback is a top-level quarterback. In 53 games (including playoffs) Purdy has already had a torn UCL, a broken rib, nerve irritation in his elbow and finally this year’s battle with turf toe.

Jones doesn’t sound like someone who is itching to leave and chase riches. He is grateful for the chance to be himself and grow under Shanahan. He was in unstable situations in both New England and Jacksonville. The big money should be waiting in 2027 whether he plays in 2026 or not. The way the quarterback market is, Jones could end up making Purdy money, which is an average of $53 million per season.

Having two functioning quarterbacks as a contender is such a common-sense move it’s amazing more teams don’t do it.

“You might say a draft pick might be more worthwhile, but quarterback is the position,” Young said. “If you can tell me Brock’s going to play 17 games no problem, then fine, ship (Mac) off. But if there’s any chance he doesn’t play 17 games, I want Mac Jones sitting right there.”

Yet amateur general managers and real ones as well are too quick to gamble away a season with a carefully built roster that simply has no hope of playing championship-level football when it loses its star quarterback.

“I really got a PhD in football this year and I want to keep getting better,” Jones said. “It’s been a couple of rough years for me, just getting back on track. I feel like I had to show my personality and be around the guys like George Kittle, guys I’ve always watched like Christian McCaffrey and Fred Warner. It was like a dream, honestly.”

A dream worth repeating in 2026.