It sure seems as if the San Francisco 49ers are planning to hold onto their backup quarterback, Mac Jones, into 2026.
At least for now.
An offseason trade market for Jones never materialized much after he helped the Niners go 5-3 during an injury-related absence to their starter, Brock Purdy, reinvigorating the former's otherwise stagnant career and putting him on the radar of yet another reclamation success (not unlike the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning QB, Sam Darnold).
Given Purdy's injury history, it makes sense San Francisco wants to keep Jones around for the second half of his two-year contract inked back in 2025.
But, should another squad lose its starter during training camp, the preseason or in the first few weeks of the 2026 campaign, Jones' market could grow red hot once again.
Yet there's one team that may consider making a move despite any of that, and that squad is a little closer to the 49ers than most: the Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals could be sneaky trade partner with 49ers for Mac Jones
As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently pointed out, the Niners would likely have little reservation trading Jones if the market heated up between now and the NFL trade deadline later this fall.
As for an in-division trade with Arizona, that might be a bit harder to stomach. At least on the surface.
But when one dives in deeper, it's possible to see why San Francisco might consider a trade within the NFC West, especially if it views the Cardinals as several years removed from serious divisional contention.
Currently, the Cards' quarterbacking situation is anything but ideal, ranking 30th out of 32 teams in a recent USA Today! listing of the league's best signal-calling groups entering 2026—Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck as the options. Brissett's contractual standoff with Arizona earlier this offseason doesn't help, meaning a push for someone like Jones could be in play to at least provide some stability for first-year head coach Mike LaFleur.
Speaking of LaFleur, he stems from head coach Kyle Shanahan's coaching tree, meaning Jones wouldn't have to reacclimate too much to a new system.
And Jones would be able to reunite with one of his favorite targets, both with the 49ers last year and previously with the New England Patriots, veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne.
The Cardinals are expected to be bad this year, too, meaning any draft compensation they dish back to the Niners in exchange for Jones would likely be high in whatever round. Let's say Arizona is willing to offer a third-round pick, that'd be significantly higher than the best-case Round 3 compensatory selection San Francisco could otherwise get the following year if and when Jones departs via free agency.
Granted, trading a productive quarterback within the division might be enough to halt the 49ers from moving any further on such a deal with an NFC West rival.
But if the offer is good enough, the context certainly would match.
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