As Sam Darnold leads the Seattle Seahawks into the Super Bowl, quarterback-needy teams around the National Football League are eyeing Kyle Shanahan’s latest reclamation project as a trade target. Of course, that will require a willingness from the San Francisco 49ers to move him.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday that San Francisco isn’t looking to trade quarteback Mac Jones. After signing him to a two-year contract last offseason, the club wants to keep him as an insurance option behind Brock Purdy next season.
Speaking to the media in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, Jones expressed strong interest in an opportunity to become a starting quarterback again. Seeing the success that Darnold has had with the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, the former first-round pick is confident he can follow in the footsteps of a peer whose career seemed to turnaround after a stint in San Francisco.
If Jones were made available, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes San Francisco could get a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft back in exchange for him. That’s in part due to the contract he’s signed to, which carries just a $3.98 million cap hit next season before he becomes a free agent in 2027.
While that is a compelling return to at least consider a trade, there is an even stronger incentive for the 49ers to keep Jones. He posted a 5–3 record as the 49ers’ starting quarterback this past season, completing 69.6 percent of his passes with a 13–6 TD–INT line and a 97.4 passer rating. Jones knows Shanahan’s system, and given Brock Purdy’s injury history, San Francisco does not want to risk having an unknown forced to start if Purdy gets hurt.
The 49ers’ stance on trading Jones means there will be even more suitors for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and potentially even Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. However, both of their contracts will prevent either club from getting any quality draft picks back in a trade.
