The San Francisco 49ers suffered their first loss of the 2025 NFL season on Sunday. And while they are still 3-1 and tied for first place in the NFC West, there may be a growing issue at the quarterback position given the recent performances of Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.
NFL Rumors: Would 49ers Consider Benching Brock Purdy?
During the offseason, San Francisco made a long term commitment to have Purdy be their starting quarterback. The former 7th round draft pick was handed a five-year, $265 million contract extension, making him one of the highest paid players in the league. There were high expectations for Purdy and the 49ers for 2025, with anything less than a Super Bowl victory likely to be seen as a disappointment.
Unfortunately for Purdy, he suffered a toe injury in Week 1 that would cause him to miss two straight games. Starting in his place was Mac Jones, who signed a two-year deal back in March after starting seven times in 2024 for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Brock Purdy has thrown 8 interceptions in his past 5 starts.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) September 28, 2025
Like most quarterbacks, Jones performed well in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. The 49ers went 2-0 in his starts, and he threw for a combined 563 yards and four touchdowns while completing 66.3% of his passes. But his time under center was short-lived, as Brock Purdy was deemed healthy enough to start Week 4’s game against the Jaguars.
But despite entering as 3.5-point favorites, the 49ers wound up losing outright to Jacksonville. Some of the key mistakes made in the game fell on the shoulders of Purdy, including two interceptions and a game-deciding fumble. While he did throw for 309 yards on the day, he was one of the biggest issues for San Francisco in the loss.
Big Money Commitment Makes QB Change Unlikely
Is there a quarterback controversy brewing in the 49ers building? It is unlikely that the team is considering making any kind of move away from Purdy at this point. The commitment to make him one of the highest earners in the NFL shows how much they believe in him, and one tough performance coming off of an injury won’t be enough to warrant a benching.
But there were plenty of frustrated fans on social media after the first loss of the season, wondering if Mac Jones would have had a better game than Purdy.
The 49ers should've started Mac Jones today to give Brock Purdy more time to heal. Now he has to play on Thursday night on a short week vs. Rams and he's clearly not 100 percent.
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) September 28, 2025
The 49ers entered the season with one of the softest schedules in recent memory in the NFL, but they’ll be undergoing possibly their toughest stretch over the next few weeks. They’ll have a quick turnaround for their next game, as they’ll take on the division rival Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night, who are tied with San Francisco atop the NFC West.
They’ll then travel cross-country to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before returning home to play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7.
