Every NFL team wants to find the next Sam Darnold.
After Darnold went from castoff backup to Super Bowl champion with the Seattle Seahawks, the football world has been asking one question: who’s next?
On Tuesday, Rich Eisen offered a definitive answer.
“Mac Jones, in my estimation, is the most likely candidate to be the next Sam Darnold,” Eisen said on The Rich Eisen Show. “He’s actually in the Shanahan system that everyone credits for Sam Darnold’s reset.”
A Career That Mirrors Darnold’s Path
Eisen laid out the parallel succinctly. Jones was “chosen in the middle of the first round, had a nice first year… second year falls off… he needed to go to ‘Camp [Doug] Pederson’ down in Jacksonville, and now he’s in ‘Camp [Kyle] Shanahan.'”
Both were high first-round picks who flashed potential before unraveling with their original teams and ultimately landing in Shanahan’s system.
Where Darnold spent years in mediocrity with the Jets under Adam Gase, Jones had a promising rookie season under Bill Belichick, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021. However, he regressed sharply, and by 2023, he finished with just 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, prompting New England to trade him to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick.
In Jacksonville, Pederson noted Jones would sometimes “revert back to his Patriot ways” — a backhanded comment suggesting the regression was real. Jones went 2-5 as a starter but showed enough growth in decision-making and pocket presence to earn his next opportunity.
The Shanahan Effect
When Jones signed with the 49ers ahead of the 2025 season, it felt like a full-circle moment. Shanahan had wanted him all the way back in 2021 before taking Trey Lance.
Jones confirmed the mutual interest: “Kyle and I have a great relationship, and he wanted me to be here with him when I was coming out of the draft.”
When Brock Purdy went down with turf toe, Jones went 5-3 in eight starts — completing 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 97.4 quarterback rating.
In a Week 5 overtime win over the Rams, he threw for 342 yards and two scores while playing through a knee injury without his top two receivers.
Shanahan praised him throughout the season but made clear that Purdy remained the starter. “It’s been awesome how Mac has played,” Shanahan said. “He has been great.”
The Trade Market
Jones’s performance made him one of the offseason’s most coveted quarterbacks.
Reports have surfaced about a potential bidding war with compensation starting at a third-round pick. The Vikings are expected to be among the most aggressive suitors — the same franchise that parlayed Darnold’s progression under Shanahan into a career year.
Shanahan has said he’d be “very surprised” if Jones wasn’t back. Jones, for his part, has been clear about his ambitions: “I’m on a two-year deal, but I believe I’m a starter in this league.”
As Eisen put it: “Brock Purdy was not available for some time this year, and Mac Jones kept the Niners afloat. They almost won the one-seed.”
The ingredients are there. The only question is whether another team will make an offer that incentivizes the 49ers to give him the opportunity that he’s been waiting for.
