What an odd season it’s been for the San Francisco 49ers, yet, they are still well within the NFC West race and the playoff picture as a whole.
Despite the quarterback situation posing some major questions, Kyle Shanahan’s offense has remained in the top-10 in terms of yardage per game and they’ve seen stellar performances out of backup quarterback Mac Jones, who’s taken the majority of snaps this year while Brock Purdy has been sidelined to injury.
On Adam Schefter’s latest podcast, the ESPN NFL insider discussed the 49ers in light of the recent trade deadline and talked about what the team could do come the offseason, specifically at the most important position in football.
“How about in San Francisco where there are two quarterbacks who have played exceptionally well? Does San Francisco keep both? Do they look to move on from Mac jones or even dare we say Brock Purdy?” he asked.
Adam Schefter tossed out the idea of the 49ers trading Brock Purdy and sticking with Mac Jones in 2026
Well, that’s quite an idea from Schefter.
For something like that to come from one of the most respected insiders in the league, and in the same year Purdy signed a massive contract extension with the 49ers, is quite the bold take.
It would be the ultimate irony, too, because of the 49ers’ history of quarterback injuries leading to starters losing their jobs. Whether we’re talking Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick or even Purdy, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, this team has a funny, recent history of these types of things happening.
To be fair, this isn’t as ludicrous as it sounds. Jones has played very well for the most part.
In seven starts, he’s posted a career-high 261.7 passing yards per game. Jones has thrown 10 touchdowns versus five interceptions.
He’s also earning career highs in air yards per attempt (7.23), yards per completion (10.9), quarterback rating (93.6) and QBR (61.2).
Also, not gone unnoticed are his two game-winning drives this season. This is also a career-high, and we’re only halfway through the season.
It would be a colossal decision for Kyle Shanahan to keep Jones as his starting quarterback once Purdy is healthy, but it’s also a way that he and John Lynch could get creative in freeing up financial space and adding draft capital by way of trading their former starter.
We’re still a ways away from the offseason, but we likely aren’t that far away from Shanahan having to make a big decision as to who his starter is going to be. Buckle up.
