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Why the 49ers Could Sign Mac Jones

When Jones was in college, he was surrounded by premium talent and he excelled. He's the kind of quarterback who needs help around him, similar to Brock Purdy.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) runs the ball against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Four years ago, the 49ers nearly drafted Mac Jones after trading three first-rounders a third for the No. 3 pick in the draft. Soon, they'll have a chance to sign him on the cheap.

Remember, when the 49ers made that blockbuster trade, nearly every insider with ties to Kyle Shanahan reported that he most likely would take Jones. Then 49ers fans flipped out, and the team eventually decided to draft Trey Lance instead. But Shanahan never gave Lance a real shot, maybe because he never really wanted him.

Which brings us back to Jones. He was drafted by the Patriots, who were and continue to be awful. He replaced Tom Brady, who struggled on that team in 2020. The next season, Jones led the Patriots to the playoffs while Brady led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory.

In four seasons, Jones has started 49 games -- 42 with the Patriots and 7 with the Jaguars, two awful franchises.

When Jones was in college, he was surrounded by premium talent and he excelled. He's the kind of quarterback who needs help around him, similar to Brock Purdy.

The 49ers could provide Jones that help. He has the arm talent and anticipation to do well in this offense. And he would be extremely cheap. The 49ers probably could sign him to a two-year, $5 million deal.

Don't be surprised if the 49ers sign Jones early in free agency before they offer Purdy an extension. Then if Purdy holds out for a better offer, they'll have a quarterback who can lead the team while Purdy sits out.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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