With the all NFL teams making cuts to finalize their 53-man rosters (and 16-player practice squads), the San Francisco 49ers have already parted ways with a few players.
Quarterbacks Tanner Mordecai and Carter Bradley were among the names not kept by the NFC West juggernauts, both falling into the waived/injured category.
That leaves one viable player to back up the Niners' starting quarterback, Brock Purdy.
Purdy is expected to start Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks in two weeks. Mac Jones, after an unimpressive preseason showing, is the second-string quarterback to support San Francisco's franchise signal-caller. Jones, the high-profile first-round draftee from 2021 was brought in on a two-year deal earlier during the offseason.
History has shown the injury bug bites hard when it strikes the 49ers locker room.
Thus, why its a major risk to trust Jones with the keys to the castle should Purdy fall.
Mac Jones is surrounded by doubt and question marks going into 2025
The former first-round pick has struggled this month in exhibition action. Jones threw one interception in San Francisco's first two preseason games, and then a knee injury withheld the Alabama Crimson Tide graduate from the preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Since debuting in the league, the same season as former 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, there have been two AFC teams that tried to plug Jones in as their starter. To no avail, Jones never found his footing permanently for either the New England Patriots or the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite his impressive rookie season, Jones could not recreate the success that earned him Pro Bowl honors and his team a playoff berth. The Pats moved on from the inconsistent quarterback ahead of the 2024 season.
Even a second chance in his hometown couldn't keep Jones in the discussion of elite starting quarterbacks. The Jacksonville, Florida, native threw for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games (seven starts).
How bad was Mac Jones in the 2025 preseason?
The 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos in the preseason opener was bad across the board for the 49ers. Despite having the most yards and highest quarterback rating on San Francisco, Jones was outplayed by all three opposing quarterbacks: Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger, and starter Bo Nix.
In the 22-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Niners' QB2 did better by connecting on 13 of his 16 throws to 49ers targets. However, his 135 passing yards were outshone by another mistake, resulting in his second interception while not recording a touchdown.
Over the final exhbition weekend, Jones did not have a chance to redeem himself as he was ruled out of the 30-23 preseason finale against the Chargers with a minor knee injury. Yet, he still remains on San Francisco's roster as Bradley and Mordecai (again) find themselves cut from the roster.
Fingers crossed for Brock Purdy's health
Not only is Purdy a year younger than Jones, but 49ers' starting quarterback boasts a much better resume than his backup. For the second season in a row, the Niners fielded the fourth-best passing offense in terms of yardage despite what many considered to be a down year for the final pick of the 2022 draft.
For San Francisco to return to the postseason, Purdy may have to play all 17 games this year.
If the 49ers have to trust Jones to take over, history has shown us before that may not go over so well.