The San Francisco 49ers may have made another backup quarterback a lot of money as Mac Jones is becoming a hot commodity for a quarterback needy team. Every team that is unwilling to pick their quarterback in the NFL draft this year will look for their version of Sam Darnold.
Darnold went to the 49ers in 2023 to be their back up quarterback and the following season, Darnold would light it up with the Minnesota Vikings. Revitalize his career.
Darnold then went on to win the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks now setting up every quarterback needy team with a redemption strategy to fill their needs.
Baker Mayfield has had a similar arc with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and with only one quarterback this NFL Draft deemed a first rounder, many teams will try to find magic with a veteran this off-season. That is why the New York Jets will trade for Mac Jones from the San Francisco 49ers.
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Mac Jones was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft to the New England Patriots and had a fantastic rookie season.
Finishing 2nd in the offensive rookie of the year race and being named a pro bowler, Patriots fans thought they had their next guy post Tom Brady. Little did they know down the road Drake Maye would lead them to a Super Bowl appearance.
Jones struggled his next 2 seasons with the Patriots causing him to be traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He would then sign with the San Francisco 49ers to a 2-year deal for the 2025 and 2026 season.
The former Patriots QB started 8 games in 2025 while starting quarterback Brock Purdy was out due to injury, and Jones was great. Winning 5 of those 8 games, Jones threw for 2,151 yards for 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Setting himself to follow Sam Darnold and back to a starting job.
The New York Jets need a starting quarterback and with the 2nd overall pick, it is unlikely they will use it on a quarterback. The Jets should look for a possible rejuvenation project like Jones as they build a complete roster before deciding on using a high draft pick for their next quarterback.
The Jets have the 3rd most cap space and a plethora of draft picks. They can do a lot of damage this off-season similar to the New England Patriots did last year. Build a roster and plug-in a quarterback later.
They have offensive weapons that would help Jones immediately but need more on the offensive line as well. It would be a low cost low risk for the Jets to get Jones as they rebuild and he may turn out to be the guy or they could move on from him quickly.
What Would a Trade Package Look Like?
Mac Jones is under contract for one more year with just a $3.98 million cap hit. The Jets have 8 draft picks for the 2026 NFL draft with 4 being in the first 2 rounds. The Jets should not have to give up any of those for Jones however. The Jets should keep those and build their future around them.
The 49ers QB is projected to be worth a 3rd round pick or possibly a late 2nd round pick. New York does not have a 3rd round pick available to trade in 2026 and should offer their 2027 3rd round pick along with a 6th round pick swap in both 2026 and 2027.
If that doesn’t entice the 49ers enough they should do the trade contingent on snaps played or performance for a 2nd round pick with the lowest the draft pick can be is the 2027 3rd.
The 49ers would love to keep Jones, but they could use the extra draft picks to rebuild an aging team and with their success of training back ups, they can do it again. That is why the San Francisco 49ers will trade Mac Jones to the New York Jets.
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