With Brock Purdy set to return to the starting lineup for San Francisco this weekend, head coach Kyle Shanahan has made it clear that there is no quarterback controversy in the Bay Area. That’s not to say backup passer Mac Jones hasn’t proven himself to be extremely capable of competing for a starting job but more so that Purdy will get the benefit of the doubt as the incumbent starter prior to injury.
On the contrary to any potential criticism of Jones’ performance over his eight games as QB1, the buzz around the NFL recently has focused on the new trajectory of Jones’ career as a result of his commendable stint as the starter in San Francisco. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, in a league desperate for serviceable quarterbacks, Jones has established himself as one and “emerged as a prime trade candidate for 2026.”
After watching Purdy miss two games in 2024 and watching two different backup quarterbacks lose games as injury replacements, the 49ers committed to signing a higher-quality second arm in 2025. The team landed on Jones, giving him a two-year, $7MM deal with the potential to make up to $11.5MM.
He’s already added $500K from an incentive of playing at least 25 percent of the team’s offensive snaps and winning at least four regular season games as a starter. After eight starts, he may just trigger the second incentive requiring a 50 percent snap share and a playoff berth; both are very possible but not guaranteed at this moment. The two levels of incentives exist in the second year of his contract, as well, and if Jones does get traded to a team that names him the starter, he’ll have a good shot at hitting those marks again.
While the 49ers would certainly like to keep their strong QB2 option next year, his value as a trade asset may supersede any desires of keeping him. The Dolphins, Jets, Steelers, Browns, Saints, and perhaps even the Raiders and Cardinals all stand as teams that could be looking for a new starter in 2026. For a while, it seemed that the 2026 NFL Draft would be the saving grace for these teams, rich with young quarterback talent, but lately, evaluators have lost faith in the talent level of the draft-eligible passers in school now.
As a result, San Francisco may opt to capitalize on the value Jones has created for himself. Trading Jones would be mutually beneficial for the two parties as the team would be doing right by Jones, giving him an opportunity to start in the NFL, while getting a potentially valuable return in exchange.
For now, the focus in San Francisco is making sure Purdy is healthy and up to speed enough to assist the team on a second-half playoff push while also keeping Jones game-ready in case injuries force the team’s hand once again. If Jones continues to excel at executing the tasks set before him, though, he may just put himself — and the 49ers — in a strong bargaining position.
