49ers’ QB Mac Jones viewed as a trade chip by NFL executives

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 11: Mac Jones #10 and Brock Purdy #13 of the San Francisco 49ers interact prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Mac Jones was the last San Francisco 49ers player to speak at the podium before the team ended OTAs. Despite not throwing due to soreness in his shoulder, Jones said all the right things.

It's Brock's team." I'm not in the business of leaving good people." I also love it here."

According to NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, Jones is more likely to hit the incentives in his contract with another team, provided Brock Purdy stays healthy:

The 49ers were never going to seriously entertain dealing Mac Jones this offseason, as team and league sources maintained to us throughout the winter.

But there's also nothing in his reworked contract with the 49ers that will preclude clubs from inquiring about him between now and the midseason trade deadline.

Jones is a more than competent starting quarterback and is cerebral and has matured from his early stint in New England, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is famous for altering the trajectory of quarterback careers for the better.

He is a valuable commodity to the 49ers and has more than filled in admirably when starter Brock Purdy has been injured.

But rival execs believe Jones could also end up being a luxury to the 49ers by the deadline.

The NFC West is the toughest division in football, with Seattle primed to defend the Lombardi Trophy and the Rams building a super team in Los Angeles after trading for Hall of Fame pass rusher Myles Garrett and elite corner Trent McDuffie this offseason.

Competition will be tougher than ever before, and the 49ers' defence had the best pass rush in the NFL a year ago, and it might not be nearly good enough entering this season, either.

It would take an injury to a quarterback on a playoff team or a team in the mix. Kyler Murray going down for the Minnesota Vikings is the easiest target to pinpoint. You don't go out and sign Murray unless you're terrified of the idea of having to play J.J. McCarthy.

Patrick Mahomes going down for the season changed the AFC landscape. However, that didn't occur until late in the season. That'd be the worst-case scenario in the hypothetical situation for the 49ers: A quarterback of a playoff team getting injured after the trade deadline.

The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals, if Joe Burrow is hurt, are two other logical landing spots. In an ESPN article last week, Dan Graziano listed Jones as a trade option ahead of the deadline:

He's in thefinal year of his contractand would cost an acquiring team $3.15 million in 2026.

You can see why teams would be interested, but the 49ers have told anyone who has asked this offseason that they value him andaren't trading him. In order for Jones to be moved, a contender would need a significant enough injury at the quarterback position to convince them to overpay the Niners to let him go. If something happened to, say,Justin Herbertwith the Chargers or toJoe Burrowin Cincinnati, or if none of the Vikings' options work out, those are all examples of places where Jones could conceivably step right in and help their Kyle Shanahan-inspired offenses. There's no way to know when or whether those types of teams would have that type of need.

Are the 49ers in the trade market for an edge rusher?

According to La Canfora, the 49ers could use Jones as a trade chip for another pass rusher:

Teams have been trading for pass rushers like never before in recent years, and the 49ers, despite some cap issues, have been identified to me by multiple general managers as a team they believe is primed to try to land one.

Dealing Jones wouldn't aid their cause from a cap standpoint, given his manageable salary (the 49ers added in some incentives that he frankly would be more likely to hit elsewhere if Purdy stays healthy).

What he could provide is additional draft capital that could be used as part of a package for a pass rusher. There's always the potential that the team dealing the pass rusher could need a QB as well, though that seems remote.

You think Kyle's going to sit back and let his buddy (Rams coach Sean MvCay) have all the fun?" said one longtime personnel executive.

They're going to have to get creative, too. The Rams keep raising the stakes... You have a backup QB who isn't helping you win games, and somebody else wants him; it's time to sell... Kyle will find another project to rehab. He always does."

The latter part is why it was confusing that the 49ers' asking price for Jones was so high. There are dozens of Mac Jones out there. The NFL knows as much. Kyle Shanahan will find another reclamation project next offseason.

As for pass rushers, Ian Rapoport poured water on any Josh Sweat rumors. It's unlikely the Cardinals would've moved Sweat within the division. Maxx Crosby is another option, as is Kayvon Thibodeaux.