It seems like the San Francisco 49ers are going to hold onto backup quarterback Mac Jones this offseason after much speculation about potentially trading him away in exchange for a draft pick.
New Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken was asked about Jones and his market recently, which prompted him to joke, "I would just tell Kyle [Shanahan] to cut him. And then we’ll see what the market is."
Obviously, Monken is kidding. But his answer probably speaks to what many NFL coaches and executives wish would happen. The 49ers’ asking price for Jones has reportedly been prohibitively high, which makes sense because he proved last season just how valuable he is to the Niners.
If they didn’t sign him to be the backup to Brock Purdy, who knows how that season might have gone. Jones came in and played well, and the Niners made the playoffs as a result. Jones threw for 2,151 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 69.6 percent of his passes.
There are a lot of NFL teams that would sign up for that sort of production under center immediately. Yet, not many teams are willing to part with a first- or second-round draft pick, or whatever it is the Niners are asking for, in exchange for that.
After the success that Sam Darnold has had after his brief stint with the 49ers, it's a little surprising that more teams haven't been aggressive in their pursuit of Jones. The Minnesota Vikings seemed like a natural destination, but they opted to go with Kyler Murray instead.
Kirk Cousins signing a huge deal with the Las Vegas Raiders took away what would have been an ideal backup option for San Francisco if it had decided to trade Jones away, given head coach Kyle Shanahan’s relationship with Cousins.
Zach Wilson, another former first-round pick who flamed out and is looking for a mid-career renaissance, just like Jones or Darnold, signed with the New Orleans Saints, so that’s another potential option off the board.
As things stand, the 49ers should just keep Jones at this point unless they receive an absurd offer for him. He seems happy in San Francisco, and his teammates clearly love him. So it’s best for him to just stay put. Even if Purdy stays totally healthy and Jones rides the bench all year, he should have a pretty robust free-agent market next offseason.
Don’t expect the Niners to take Monken’s humorous advice anytime soon, though. They need Jones, and he may need them too.