It is easy to forget, four years later, that new 49ers QB2 Mac Jones was once a Pro Bowler in the NFL. That was his rookie year in 2021, when he took New England to the playoffs with a 10-7 record, going for 3,801 yards passing and 22 touchdowns, and a quarterback rating of 92.5.
At that point, of course, the 49ers’ decision to pass on Jones with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft and instead gamble on Trey Lance looked like a major error. But the passage of years has shown that, when it comes to quarterback s that year, there may have been no good answers. Not only have Jones and Lance flamed out and bounced around the league, but No. 2 pick Zach Wilson has, too, as has No. 11 pick Justin Fields.
Even No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence has been no great shakes. But at least the 49ers are getting a do-over on Jones, as they signed him to be the backup to Brock Purdy as the team and Purdy still continue to drag out their negotiations on a new contract.
49ers Liked Mac Jones in 2021 NFL Draft
With Purdy’s deal in the background, new offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, who was promoted this year, said the team views Jones as an NFL-quality starter. Jones has 49 starts to his credit, and a 20-29 record in those games. He was traded by the Patriots to the Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after last season.
Said Kubiak, via the team website: “Going back to college, we obviously studied Mac coming out and we thought very highly of him and his skillset as a thrower and the things he did in college. And then obviously as a rookie, what he did in the NFL was very impressive. Mac’s a really good thrower. He stands in the pocket, he’s a strong guy and he’s really smart. And so he’s got a lot of traits that we like for a starting quarterback.
“And his career has kind of gone up and down a little bit the past couple years, but we saw the same things in Jacksonville that we loved about him as a college prospect, and that really excites us. He’s doing a great job. And I think Mac’s capable of being a starter in this league. And so he’s going to help us if he needs to.”
Brock Purdy Holdout Remains a Possibility
For now, Jones remains an insurance policy for the 49ers in the event of a Purdy injury, but that could change if the talks on a new Purdy contract do not progress. Jones could, in that case, be the insurance policy on a Purdy holdout.
As of now, though, Purdy has gained some credit within the locker room and the organization as a whole for not holding out.
“Brock’s been great,” Kubiak said. “Brock has almost three full seasons, like two and a half full seasons of tape now where he can really look at his cutups and look at his games over that time period and just kind of study himself and see where he has gotten better, where he needs to continue to get better. He’s a great student of himself. He wants to study himself, he wants to see where he can improve, he wants to be told the truth about what we think about how he can improve.
“And so he’s had a great offseason so far. It’s kind of what we expect from Brock.”
