San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones became the subject of trade rumors even before the club’s offseason began when it suffered a 41-6 divisional-round playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 17.
On Sunday, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that multiple teams could look to trade for Jones once the new league year officially opens on March 11. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter (h/t Nick Wagoner) made it known later in the day that such clubs may not like what they hear about Jones’ availability.
49ers “have no plans” to do this with Mac Jones
“Despite continued speculation, the San Francisco 49ers have no plans to trade quarterback Mac Jones this offseason and fully intend to bring him back as Brock Purdy’s backup,” Schefter revealed.
In January, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch strongly suggested they wouldn’t actively shop Jones to other teams. Jones is under contract through the 2026 campaign, but he has admitted that he feels he proved this season that he can be a starting quarterback.
Jones went 5-3 across eight starts for the 2025 49ers when Purdy was dealing with a toe issue. Per Pro Football Reference stats, Jones ended Week 18 ranked 11th in the NFL among qualified players with a 62.3 adjusted QBR and 13th with a 97.4 passer rating. In total, he tallied 13 touchdown passes with six interceptions.
What teams could call the 49ers about Mac Jones?
On Monday morning, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated named the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals among teams that “could be out there looking for a change, upgrade or significant augmentation at” quarterback.
Schefter saying the 49ers “don’t plan to part with Jones, who is under contract for another year at a salary cap number of $3.07M” doesn’t necessarily mean that Lynch and Shanahan have completely slammed the door shut on a possible trade. Schefter’s update may have simply confirmed that the 49ers want other teams to realize that Jones won’t be available for a day-three draft pick this offseason.