Mac Jones could be wearing a different uniform by the time the 2026 season kicks off – and the San Francisco 49ers front office is still deciding whether that’s the right call, with Kurtis Rourke‘s development holding all the cards. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a trade remains genuinely on the table, not dead. The decision sits at the intersection of roster-building logic and a backup QB market that stubbornly refuses to match 49ers GM John Lynch‘s ambitions.
What Is Confirmed on the Jones Trade Front
Jones finished 2025 with a 69.5% completion rate, 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and just 6 interceptions across a 5-3 stretch that reminded everyone why New England once made him the 15th overall pick in 2021. His 2026 base salary sits at $1.4 million – the kind of number that makes rival front offices pay attention. But Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in February that the 49ers “have no plans to trade Mac Jones” and fully intend to keep him as Brock Purdy‘s backup.
This is not a done deal either way – this is a live front-office conversation that hinges on a seventh-round pick proving he belongs. Rourke was selected 227th overall in the 2025 draft. If he hasn’t convinced Kyle Shanahan he’s ready to hold the clipboard, Jones stays. If he has, the phones start ringing.
The Trade Market Gap Is the Real Story
Lynch reportedly opened negotiations seeking a first-round pick – an ask that landed with a thud across the league. The consensus among rival teams, per multiple reports, is that Jones is worth a second or third-round pick, not a premium selection. Dianna Russini reported that the 49ers are “not looking to let go” of Jones, and Schefter noted the trade market “never heated up” ahead of the 2026 draft. That gap between asking price and market reality is the reason Jones is still in San Francisco.
The probability framing here sits somewhere around 25/75 against a trade happening before the regular season. The 49ers have too much quarterback insurance value to give it away at a discount, and no team has blinked at Lynch‘s price.
| Metric | Mac Jones 2025 | Trade Context |
| Completion % | 69.5% | Career-best efficiency |
| Passing Yards | 2,151 | 8-game sample |
| TDs / INTs | 13 / 6 | Favorable ratio |
| 2026 Base Salary | $1.4M | Bargain-tier cap hit |
| 49ers Asking Price | 1st-round pick | Market says 2nd or 3rd |
Destinations and What a Trade Would Actually Mean
Three teams surface repeatedly as logical fits: the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets, and the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals option is almost certainly dead – trading within the NFC West hands a division rival a functional starter at cut-rate cost. The Browns are running an open QB competition, which makes a proven commodity like Jones genuinely attractive. The Jets are rolling with Geno Smith at 35, a situation that screams eventual contingency planning.
For the 49ers, moving Jones at the right price fills an immediate roster gap rather than waiting on a draft pick to develop. For the acquiring team, they get a quarterback who completed nearly 70% of his passes in Shanahan‘s system – experience that translates regardless of scheme. Jones has said publicly he wants to start again, and he’d embrace a trade that puts him in that position, per NFL.com reporting.
What Happens Next for Jones and the 49ers
Training camp is the next genuine inflection point. A significant QB injury elsewhere could reignite the market overnight and finally push a desperate team past Lynch‘s price threshold. Branch noted at the Chronicle that injury-driven desperation remains the most realistic trigger for a deal. If Jones clears 2026 without a trade, his performance in Shanahan‘s system becomes his 2027 free-agency audition – the real prize that makes staying in San Francisco worth the patience.
