The San Francisco 49ers welcomed a new quarterback into town this week, as the team inked Mac Jones to a two-year, $7 million contract, with $5 million guaranteed. The San Francisco 49ers have deployed "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy as their starter for the last two seasons, but the addition of Jones, to the surprise of many, could be good news for Purdy.
Purdy is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is reportedly seeking north of $60 million per year. Purdy is coming off a down year, where the 49ers went 6-9 with him as a starter, and he threw for 3,864 yards and 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
During Purdy's sophomore season in 2023, he was named to the Pro Bowl and had a top-five MVP finish. Purdy led the NFL in QBR (72.8), yards-per-attempt (9.6), and touchdown percentage (7.0). Purdy threw 31 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions and tallied 4,280 yards en route to a 12-4 record.
Purdy took the 49ers to the Super Bowl that season, throwing for 774 yards and three touchdowns during his three-game playoff run.
One of the primary differences between these two seasons is who was in the quarterback room. During the 2023 preseason, it wasn't a foregone conclusion that Purdy would be the starter under center. He had an open competition with Sam Darnold and Trey Lance. The 2024 49ers didn't have a real challenger to Purdy, with the backups being Joshua Hobbs and Brandon Allen.
Mac Jones has started 49 of his 52 NFL games at quarterback, even making a Pro Bowl in his rookie season. While Purdy is the clear favorite to be the full-time starter this season, Jones can bring some preseason competition to Purdy, the same type of competition that led Purdy to thrive in 2023.
In his career, Jones has thrown for 10,590 yards, throwing for 54 touchdowns to 44 interceptions. He has a 65.9 career completion percentage.
The former Alabama standout and 15th overall pick in 2021 will have a chance to compete with Purdy in camp, and, if Purdy doesn't resign, will have a shot to be the 49ers' starter in 2026.
