NFL rumors: The only way 49ers will trade Mac Jones this season

The San Francisco 49ers have found their starting quarterback in Brock Purdy. But they are more than pleased with their backup option in Mac Jones as well.

As teams around the league try to figure out their own quarterback plans, Jones may continue to be a coveted trade target. But a special set of circumstances would need to happen for the 49ers to actually deal the QB away, via Dan Graziano of ESPN.

“You can see why teams would be interested, but the 49ers have told anyone who has asked this offseason that they value him and aren’t trading him,” Graziano wrote. “In order for Jones to be moved, a contender would need a significant enough injury at the quarterback position to convince them to overpay the Niners to let him go.”

“If something happened to, say, Justin Herbert with the Chargers or to Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, or if none of the Vikings’ options work out, those are all examples of places where Jones could conceivably step right in and help their Kyle Shanahan-inspired offenses,” he continued. “There’s no way to know when or whether those types of teams would have that type of need.”

The 49ers have put a high price tag on Jones and have had no problems hanging on to him despite the quarterback entering free agency in 2026. However, an injury might force another team to get desperate. Especially if they have real playoff aspirations. Those teams may view Jones as more of a sure thing than a free agent and therefore be willing to give up valuable draft capital.

He went 5-3 over his eight-game run as starter in 2025, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 12,741 yards, 67 touchdowns and 50 interceptions. Jones does have 63 games of NFL experience with 57 starts under his belt.

But for a team to reach the 49ers’ asking price, they must not only view Jones in the same light San Francisco does, but have a true, desperate need at the quarterback position.

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