After a winding start to his NFL career, quarterback Mac Jones landed with the San Francisco 49ers looking for stability—and he found it. Working under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the backup QB revived his form and delivered when it mattered most. When starter Brock Purdy went down with an injury this past season, Jones stepped in and helped San Francisco go 5-3 as a starter. But with Purdy now healthy and the offseason underway, Jones recently addressed whether a clearer path to a starting job might exist elsewhere.

“I started half the games, and we did well,” Mac Jones said recently on The Insiders at the Super Bowl media centre. “I signed a two-year deal in San Francisco, so my whole goal is to get back on track and be with Kyle. Just work with him and learn, and get my PFC in football as well. I have been saying it because it’s true.”

“And if I get to start again next year, I will be really excited,” Jones added. “I feel like it’s a really good fit for me, and honestly, it’s a business; you know how this goes. And I have proven that I can be a starter at multiple different spots; I have 50-plus starts, or whatever. So, I know how to do it, but it’s also a business—I understand both sides of it.”

That mindset reflects how far Mac Jones has come since a disappointing 2024 campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he threw for 1,672 yards, 8 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 10 games. The 49ers then took a calculated gamble in 2025, signing him to a two-year, $8.41 million contract that included $4.75 million guaranteed. Jones rewarded that trust by completing 201 of 289 passes for 2,151 yards, 13 TDs, and six INTs across 11 games while keeping the 49ers firmly in the playoff picture during the 2025 season.

At just 27 years old, the former first-round pick still has time to establish himself as a long-term starter in the NFL, which has naturally fueled trade speculation around the league. But when asked how closely he has followed teams searching for quarterback help, Mac Jones emphasized fit over flash.

“I think for me, I always just try to where my feet are and what I do know is you gotta be in the right situation,” Mac Jones said. “That’s definitely something I learned this year. Just being in the right offense and playmakers around you, that’s important. So, any quarterback who is in free agency or could get traded or whatever, the situation is like you wanna go somewhere that fits and makes sense. At the end of the day, that’s what I want in San Francisco, and I think we’ll see what happens. I think it’s good to be talked about, at the end of the day, I just wanna keep playing good ball.”

Mac Jones publicly reinforced his comfort in Kyle Shanahan’s system while also acknowledging the league’s transactional nature. The ball now appears to be in the 49ers’ court as they evaluate his trade value versus his importance as a proven backup.

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Will Kyle Shanahan consider trading Mac Jones before the 2026 season?

Kyle Shanahan doesn’t face immediate pressure to move on from Mac Jones, especially since the QB still has a year remaining on his contract. In fact, given the uncertainty at the quarterback position across the league now, Shanahan has made it clear that he wants to hold onto proven depth with Jones. That said, the 2026 rookie QB class isn’t viewed as particularly strong, which could inflate the market for experienced veterans like Jones. So, according to CBS Sports writer Tyler Sullivan, Jones could carry legitimate trade value if San Francisco decides to move on from him.

“Jones is still only 27 years old and has a cap hit of just over $3 million in 2026,” Sullivan wrote in an article on February 3. “That creates significant value for prospective teams to evaluate Jones as a potential next veteran to revitalize his career and propel their franchise to playoff contention. Teams who could be interested: Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins.”

Mac Jones also fits a familiar NFL profile: a former first-round pick who stumbled early, regrouped in the right system, and now looks primed for a second act. That combination will attract front offices in the NFL, considering it is a similar case to Seattle Seahawks’ QB Sam Darnold, who is now Super Bowl-bound. Therefore, Sullivan also believes it could take a third-round pick to acquire Jones, a price that may catch the attention of the Minnesota Vikings. 

The Vikings face looming questions at quarterback entering 2026, particularly with their second-year QB J.J. McCarthy struggling to establish himself as a long-term answer. McCarthy threw for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games during the 2025 season as the Vikings finished 9-8. 

Despite his injuries, the Vikings may still believe in McCarthy’s upside. But bringing in a veteran to compete with McCarthy wouldn’t be surprising. That possibility gained traction when Jason Harmon of SKOR North reported Minnesota’s interest in Mac Jones.

“Source with inside knowledge shared Mac Jones is definitely on the Vikings radar, but there are a number of other teams interested,” Harmon reported via an X post on January 29.

From Minnesota’s perspective, Mac Jones wouldn’t require a long-term commitment, especially with McCarthy already under contract. As for the 49ers, the idea of a creative deal could be tempting. Last month, Grant Cohn of SI mentioned Vikings’ wide receiver Jordan Addison as a potential trade target for the 49ers, opening the door to a player-plus-pick scenario for the 49ers.

Moreover, Kyle Shanahan can either cash in on Mac Jones’ value now or keep a proven, system-ready quarterback in-house. Either way, one thing seems clear: the 49ers won’t lack suitors for Jones as the 2026 season approaches.