Maybe 49ers were right about Patriots QB Mac Jones after all

The 49ers could have had their hands on Mac Jones in the 2021 NFL Draft but passed on him for Trey Lance. Now, the Patriots may look to trade Jones soon.

No, the debate over which quarterback the San Francisco 49ers should have selected after moving up to the No. 3 overall spot in the 2021 NFL Draft won’t simply go away even though nearly two years have passed.

We know what happened. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan ultimately centered on former North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance in that spot, and in doing so, he passed on other top-name prospects like Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Alabama’s Mac Jones.

Ultimately, the New England Patriots grabbed Jones at No. 15 overall.

Shanahan later admitted he was interested in Jones, yes. But San Francisco was keying in on Lance all along when it made the blockbuster trade.

With two full years in the books, Lance is still largely an unknown commodity after riding the bench behind Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021 and then suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 last year. All combined, Lance has just four NFL-level starts under his belt.

However, the book on Jones is not looking good at all entering 2023.

49ers can be happy they didn’t take Mac Jones in NFL Draft

There’s probably still a vocal minority that still wishes the 49ers grabbed Jones in the first place, and that minority is also thinking the former Alabama signal-caller could still be a good fit in Shanahan’s offense.

In fairness, any modest-level quarterback could probably find some success in such a position-friendly system.

Jones, who finished second in the 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and earned a Pro Bowl nod, regressed massively in year two. True, some of it had to do with the fact the Pats had one of the weaker receiving corps in the NFL over the course of 2022.

However, when Jones watched then-rookie backup quarterback Bailey Zappe ascend amid an otherwise frustrating year in New England, questions about who would start began to emerge.

Now, heading into 2023, could Jones be the odd quarterback out?

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thought it possible, telling Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub (h/t NBC Sports Boston) the following:

"I think they would [listen to trade offers for Jones]. Internally, I don’t know if they see this massive gap between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. I’m not saying they think Bailey’s as good as Mac, but there was some element of Bailey doing what he was coached to do last year that I think gave Bailey the edge to some degree for a little while there."

Related Story: Mac Jones dominated so many a 49ers mock draft in 2021

After his Pro Bowl rookie campaign, Jones completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 2,997 yards with 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and a passer rating of 84.8, yet Breer points out that it might have been the way the quarterback conducted himself, both in the locker room and on the sideline, that “didn’t sit well” with head coach Bill Belichick.

Now, potentially, trade offers could arise. And the Patriots could entertain them, per Breer.

Before anyone else thinks of it, no, the Niners aren’t going to be calling the Pats about Jones. Even with Lance’s own injury and lack of experience, the rise of fellow quarterback Brock Purdy only solidifies the zero-need fact of San Francisco wisely passing on Jones in the first place.