Remember last offseason when there was no shortage of speculation the San Francisco 49ers would attempt to trade backup quarterback Mac Jones to the highest bidder after he resurrected his career over the course of 2025?
Nothing materialized, however, and it ultimately seemed as if there wasn't much of a market for Jones' services in the first place. Or the Niners' asking price was simply too high for any quarterback-needy team to bite.
That's OK, though, right? San Francisco could simply bide its time and wait up until the NFL trade deadline to see if the market improved.
Well, it hasn't. And there's far too much evidence to suggest Jones will play out the remainder of his contract in the Bay Area, one that runs through the conclusion of this season.
No Mac Jones trade market ever materialized for 49ers
Peruse through the bulk of likely candidates to be moved ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline—such as this one from ESPN—and you're not likely to find Jones' name on any list. Sure, there was a provocative trade suggestion from Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr that had the 49ers shipping Jones to the Philadelphia Eagles in light of quarterback Jalen Hurts' health issues (and the Niners subsequently signing Jimmy Garoppolo to replace Jones on the roster). But that's little more than wishful thinking.
Taking the 2-5 Eagles as an example, would it seem plausible for general manager Howie Roseman to send off draft capital to San Francisco for Jones even if Hurts doesn't factor into Philly's long-term plans?
Not likely.
Nearly every free-falling team with serious quarterbacking deficiencies—Philadelphia, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins and arguably even the Los Angeles Chargers—are either closer to a top-10 pick in April's draft or are potentially looking at canning its head coach. Or both. Bringing in a quarterback at this point before either of those two possibilities happen never makes much sense.
About the only way Jones' market suddenly booms is if a playoff-caliber team suddenly loses its entrenched starter to a serious injury.
If the Eagles were 5-2 instead of 2-5, sending Jones there in light of Hurts' concerns would make much more sense. There'd be a market for the 49ers backup.
In all reality, the NFL trade deadline will likely come to pass without Jones' name being mentioned much, if at all.
And he'll continue to back up Brock Purdy, as was the case a year ago.
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