After seeing Josh Dobbs sign a two-year deal in free agency with the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers did not waste their time finding his backup.
The 49ers signed former first-round pick Mac Jones to a two-year, $8.41 million deal three days after Dobbs joined the Patriots. Jones spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars as Trevor Lawrence’s backup after the Pats traded him for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Jones saw some playing time last year when Lawrence was sidelined, completing 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,672 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 10 games (seven starts). Despite seeing some starting time last year, it wasn’t enough for a QB-needy team to take a chance on Jones.
That said, Jones will try to rebuild his stock with the 49ers and believes this system is perfect for him.
"I think they do a great job explaining what the expectation of each play is and why they’re doing a certain play. And there’s nothing left up to doubt, if that makes sense. And everything’s based on timing and rhythm and also playing off structure. So, it has all three elements of quarterback play. And yeah, it’s really interesting to watch it and see how they see the game because it is the correct way to see it. And as you can tell, the quarterback play is very efficient."Mac Jones via Grant Cohn of SI.com
The new 49ers QB is saying all the right things that a potential suitor might take note of in the coming weeks. Since Jones signed a two-year deal, he’s likely resigned himself to the fact that he’s comfortable with being the backup to Brock Purdy, who just signed a massive five-year extension.
However, if Jones plays well in the preseason and gets any snaps in the regular season, he could become a potential trade chip for the 49ers.
This offseason, we saw Dobbs get a two-year deal in free agency, and the year before that, Sam Darnold got a one-year, $10 million contract from the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold only threw 46 passes in his one season with the 49ers, but showed something for the Vikings to take a chance, and he didn’t look back.
Now that’s not to say Jones will have a bounce-back like Darnold. But he’s saying the right things and is clearly looking to revamp his game in an offensive system, which has paid off for multiple QBs over the years.