It’s fair to say Mac Jones has been the league’s most reliable backup this season, and it’s not particularly close. When your starter goes down, you just hope the No. 2 can keep the ship afloat. Jones has done that and more for the San Francisco 49ers. And yet, there’s a very real chance he won’t be in the building next year.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones has already “emerged as a prime trade candidate” for 2026 and could draw real interest once the offseason rolls around.

“It would not surprise me at all if the 49ers traded Mac Jones for a day two pick in next year’s draft.”

That’s a stunner on the surface. Jones signed a modest two-year, $8.4 million deal in March to back up Brock Purdy, and he’s outperformed every dollar of it. When Purdy’s toe injury put the 49ers in a bind, Jones played a pivotal role in keeping their season alive.

He’s 5-3 as the starter, with 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and a 97.4 passer rating, all while playing without Ricky Pearsall or Jauan Jennings for stretches of the season. But the job isn’t his to keep.

Purdy returned this week after what Kyle Shanahan described as an ‘aggressive’ stretch of practice, and the team never seriously entertained a prolonged quarterback debate.

Purdy will be QB1 when he’s healthy, there was never any doubt. And that’s where the trade talk comes in.

Jones is too competent, too steady, and frankly too productive to sit behind Purdy forever. He knows it. The league knows it. The 49ers know it. Unless something unexpected happens, his path back to a starting quarterback role likely lies elsewhere.

As for Kyle Shanahan, he’s made another quarterback decision this week.

49ers waive third-string QB Adrian Martinez

The 49ers did some shuffling on Saturday before heading into Week 12, and the biggest name caught in the mix was Adrian Martinez. Kyle Shanahan needed help on defense, so Martinez was waived to make room for defensive end Clelin Ferrell, who was bumped up from the practice squad.

With Brock Purdy healthy again and set to start, and Mac Jones locked in as the No. 2, Martinez simply became the odd man out. He could end up back on the practice squad, but for now, his roster spot was too valuable to reserve for a third quarterback who rarely sees the field.

Martinez’s entire season boils down to one kneel-down snap in the win over the Giants, which tells you everything about where he stood in the pecking order. And while this move doesn’t pour any fuel on the Mac Jones trade chatter, it doesn’t put it to bed either.

If the 49ers ever did entertain the idea of moving him for a Day 2 pick, they’d still have to find a legitimate backup behind Purdy. As for Jones, the conversation isn’t just about becoming a starter again.

For him to succeed long-term, the fit has to be right. He’d need protection up front, real receivers, and a coach who can build around what he does well.

Jones isn’t a finished product, but he’s shown enough this season to make you think there’s more there. With the right team, he could still grow into something a lot better than a stopgap.