The San Francisco 49ers publicly stated they had no problem retaining backup quarterback Mac Jones on their roster for 2026, keeping around an insurance policy for their starter, Brock Purdy, in case of injury.
That policy worked out well last year, as Jones helped the Niners go 5-3 while Purdy dealt with a turf-toe injury.
But Jones' turnaround also improved his own player stock, leading to all kinds of speculation San Francisco would entertain trading him to the highest bidder in an attempt to boost its stockpile of picks for April's NFL Draft.
No trade materialized, though.
Since that point, several of the teams in need of a starter under center have made their move. The Minnesota Vikings, considered one of the front-runners for a would-be Jones trade, inked Kyler Murray after he was jettisoned by the Arizona Cardinals. The Las Vegas Raiders, assumed to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the top pick in April's draft, are viewed as favorites to sign veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins as a bridge option.
And Vegas dealt quarterback Geno Smith to the New York Jets to help the latter's void at the position, too.
49ers have awfully few options left for a Mac Jones trade destination
There remain plenty of B- and C-level options on the free-agent market as well.
Back to Jones and the 49ers, it would appear as if there are only two teams left who are certainly seeking a QB1.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio circled the two, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, has having clear-cut needs under center at the moment. For the former, much of that hinges on veteran Aaron Rodgers' (never-dull) decision-making process about whether or not he wants to return for yet another year on the wrong side of 40 years old.
As for Arizona, it's been linked to another former Niners quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, who spent the previous two years as the Los Angeles Rams' QB2 behind Matthew Stafford.
It's hard to envision San Francisco shipping Jones off to a division rival, and it wouldn't be shocking if the 49ers declined any offers from the Cardinals for that very reason.
Instead, the Niners are likely forced into a waiting game to see if Jones' market picks back up again later this offseason and ahead of Week 1.
And that's a long ways away.