Nine NFL teams are quietly weighing bold moves to land 49ers QB Mac Jones, and the fallout could shake the league this offseason.QQ
Nov 16, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) looks on after defeating the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
Mac Jones could be one of the most sought after players in the NFL this offseason.
That’s because he’s under contract through 2026, he’s cheap, he’s good and the incoming class of college quarterbacks seems underwhelming. Which means as many as nine teams could have interest in trading for the 49ers’ backup quarterback.
Here are those nine teams.
The Minnesota Vikings
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JJ McCarthy doesn’t seem ready to start for a good team yet — his quarterback rating is just 61.7 despite playing with two of the NFL’s best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Vikings don’t have time to wait for McCarthy to develop. They’re ready to win now. Which means they could try to trade McCarthy and a third-round pick to the 49ers for Jones, who would be an instant upgrade.
The 49ers might not want to trade Jones to the Vikings, though, considering he probably would put up big numbers and win lots of games. That would be a bad look for the 49ers.
The Cleveland Browns
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Deshaun Watson is still under contract, but he’ll be a free agent after next season. So, the Browns could try to trade for Jones, who also is signed through 2026. If Jones were to play well for them, they could franchise tag him and/or extend him in 2027 when Watson is off the books.
Jones would be a good fit in Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense.
The New York Jets
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The Jets need a quarterback, but they have absolutely no offensive identity, so it’s unclear if they’d be interested in Jones. It’s also unlikely that Jones would succeed on the Jets, considering no one succeeds there, not even Aaron Rodgers.
With that in mind, the I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jets were to make a strong push for Jones this offseason simply because they have no idea what they’re doing.
The Arizona Cardinals
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Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is a Stefanski disciple, and both coaches like pocket quarterbacks that thrive on play action. Arizona’s offense has been moving the ball well recently with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, and Jones is similar to Brissett, except younger and better.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the 49ers probably won’t trade Jones inside their division.
The Las Vegas Raiders
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The Raiders seem stuck with Geno Smith for one more year. But in the meantime, they could try to trade for Jones and have the two compete for the starting job in 2026. Jones most likely would win the competition.
But the Raiders already got burned by one former 49ers quarterback — Jimmy Garoppolo. Maybe they’ll be hesitant to roll the dice on another one.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
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Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent after this season and could retire. Even if he wants to keep playing, the Steelers might want someone younger. Theoretically, they could trade for Jones and give him a modest extension at the same time, and he wouldn’t have to compete for the job.
This might be Jones’ preferred destination.
The Atlanta Falcons
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Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of this season and probably part of next season due to a partially torn ACL. In addition, the Falcons most likely will release Kirk Cousins this offseason and create $22.5 million in cap space in doing so.
Which means Jones could be one-year stop gap while Penix recovers, or he could take Penix’s job. It’s not Penix played particularly well when he had the opportunity.
The New Orleans Saints
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The Saints have been searching for a quarterback to replace Drew Brees since he retired in 2020, and they currently have one of the worst quarterback rooms in the entire league.
Meanwhile, Jones went to college less than 300 miles away from New Orleans, and is quite similar to Brees in the sense that Jones gets rid of the ball quickly and throws with superb accuracy.
The Miami Dolphins
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The Dolphins probably are stuck with Tua Tagovailoa for one more season, but that doesn’t mean they have to keep playing him. He’s not a starting quarterback. They need an upgrade, and Jones would be a significant one.
In addition, Jones would fit the Dolphins’ system, considering their head coach, Mike McDaniel, used to be Shanahan’s offensive coordinator on the 49ers.
