After finishing their 2024 campaign with a 6-11 record and in fourth place in the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers knew they needed to make changes, and that’s exactly what they did.
San Francisco, still led by John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan, brought in a new defensive coordinator, made impactful trades and signed free agents that they hoped would contribute.
Less than a year later, the 49ers are already stamped to go to the postseason and could finish as the top team in the conference if they win their final two games of the season.
Looking back at all of the moves they made during the offseason, a few stand out, and Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker even listed the signing of backup quarterback Mac Jones as one of the 20 best free-agent signings of 2025.
“As Purdy missed eight games due to a lingering early-season toe ailment, Jones stepped up masterfully in his stead,” Locker wrote. “The former Patriot posted a 76.0 PFF passing grade across his eight starts, racking up an 80.1% adjusted completion rate. Indeed, Jones still ranks 16th among quarterbacks in WAR despite not playing since Week 10.
Purdy’s performance of late — highlighted by his 96.6 overall mark in Week 16 — has shut down the idea that Jones could have realistically supplanted him. Still, the former first-round pick acted as a lifeline to lift the 49ers to an 11-4 record.”
Signing Jones wasn’t a no-brainer at the time, as he was coming off a tough end to his time in New England and a mediocre one-year stint in Jacksonville.
However, Jones did well in his eight starts, leading San Francisco to a 5-3 record while completing 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Even better, the deal Jones signed is for two seasons, so the 49ers could keep him around for 2026 or flip him for a draft pick or another player at a position of need this upcoming offseason.
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