The San Francisco 49ers haven't openly come and said they're going to attempt to trade backup quarterback Mac Jones this offseason after a successful resurrection of his career, one that helped the Niners reach a 5-3 record while starting signal-caller Brock Purdy was out with injury.
However, general manager John Lynch didn't exactly close the door on a would-be Jones trade this offseason either.
Indeed, ESPN's Dan Graziano suggested Jones' name as one to watch once the NFL calendar year turns, recognizing there'll be plenty of quarterback-needy teams yet not enough clear-cut names out there to meet demands.
"Mac Jones is under contract with the 49ers for next year at $2.8 million," Graziano wrote. "But the way he played in relief of Brock Purdy this season has people wondering what it would take to trade for him (and presumably pay him more) to come in and compete for a starting role."
Unfortunately, if the Niners feel as if they'll have a monopoly on surplus quarterbacks available on the trade market, another ESPN insider feels differently.
And one of San Francisco's in-division rivals could dampen the market.
Cardinals could thwart 49ers' plans to get hefty trade return for Mac Jones
In the same piece as Graziano's suggestion, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler highlighted quarterback Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals as a name worth watching this offseason:
"Jones might be the next reclamation project QB to take off in a second act. This leads to a conversation on Kyler Murray, whom the Cardinals are subtly -- or quite obviously -- trying to stash in order to preserve his health for a potential trade this offseason. His nearly $37 million in guarantees on the 2026 books complicates his market, but Murray is 28 and isn't far removed from fringe top-10-QB status."
Arizona, the lone unimpressive team in the NFC West this season, could easily hit the reset button in 2026 by moving on from both Murray and head coach Jonathan Gannon, letting the new regime pick its own quarterback rather than inherit the 2019 first overall draft pick.
While Murray, too, needs some sort of Jones-like career resurrection, as Fowler stated, one shouldn't overlook the fact the Cardinals' signal-caller is just a year removed from tossing nearly 4,000 yards with a 21-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Surely, there'll be one of those quarterback-needy teams willing to take a flier on the two-time Pro Bowler to shake things up under center.
And in doing so, it'll inevitably drive down Jones' own value on the trade market, which isn't exactly what the 49ers would want to see, if they ultimately decide trading him is the best option.