9 teams could try to trade for 49ers QB Mac Jones this offseason

Mac Jones could be one of the most sought after players in the NFL this offseason.

That's because he's under contract through 2026, he's cheap, he's good and the incoming class of college quarterbacks seems underwhelming. Which means as many as nine teams could have interest in trading for the 49ers' backup quarterback.

Here are those nine teams.

The Minnesota Vikings

Oct 5, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell reacts after a play against the Clevelan — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

JJ McCarthy doesn't seem ready to start for a good team yet -- his quarterback rating is just 61.7 despite playing with two of the NFL's best wide receivers in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

The Vikings don't have time to wait for McCarthy to develop. They're ready to win now. Which means they could try to trade McCarthy and a third-round pick to the 49ers for Jones, who would be an instant upgrade.

The 49ers might not want to trade Jones to the Vikings, though, considering he probably would put up big numbers and win lots of games. That would be a bad look for the 49ers.

The Cleveland Browns

Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski during the second quarter at Acrisu — Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Deshaun Watson is still under contract, but he'll be a free agent after next season. So, the Browns could try to trade for Jones, who also is signed through 2026. If Jones were to play well for them, they could franchise tag him and/or extend him in 2027 when Watson is off the books.

Jones would be a good fit in Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense.

The New York Jets

Nov 13, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn watches from the sideline as they take on — David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Jets need a quarterback, but they have absolutely no offensive identity, so it's unclear if they'd be interested in Jones. It's also unlikely that Jones would succeed on the Jets, considering no one succeeds there, not even Aaron Rodgers.

With that in mind, the I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets were to make a strong push for Jones this offseason simply because they have no idea what they're doing.

The Arizona Cardinals

Sep 10, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing walks on the sideline before the — Brent Skeen-Imagn Images

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is a Stefanski disciple, and both coaches like pocket quarterbacks that thrive on play action. Arizona's offense has been moving the ball well recently with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, and Jones is similar to Brissett, except younger and better.

Unfortunately for the Cardinals, the 49ers probably won't trade Jones inside their division.

The Las Vegas Raiders

Oct 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll reacts after a play against the Kansas Ci — Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Raiders seem stuck with Geno Smith for one more year. But in the meantime, they could try to trade for Jones and have the two compete for the starting job in 2026. Jones most likely would win the competition.

But the Raiders already got burned by one former 49ers quarterback -- Jimmy Garoppolo. Maybe they'll be hesitant to roll the dice on another one.

The Pittsburgh Steelers

Oct 26, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks on during the first quarter ag — Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent after this season and could retire. Even if he wants to keep playing, the Steelers might want someone younger. Theoretically, they could trade for Jones and give him a modest extension at the same time, and he wouldn't have to compete for the job.

This might be Jones' preferred destination.

The Atlanta Falcons

Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris looks on during the first quarter against the C — Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of this season and probably part of next season due to a partially torn ACL. In addition, the Falcons most likely will release Kirk Cousins this offseason and create $22.5 million in cap space in doing so.

Which means Jones could be one-year stop gap while Penix recovers, or he could take Penix's job. It's not Penix played particularly well when he had the opportunity.

The New Orleans Saints

Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore looks on during the second half against th — Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

The Saints have been searching for a quarterback to replace Drew Brees since he retired in 2020, and they currently have one of the worst quarterback rooms in the entire league.

Meanwhile, Jones went to college less than 300 miles away from New Orleans, and is quite similar to Brees in the sense that Jones gets rid of the ball quickly and throws with superb accuracy.

The Miami Dolphins

Oct 12, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel looks on from the sidelines against the Lo — Rich Storry-Imagn Images

The Dolphins probably are stuck with Tua Tagovailoa for one more season, but that doesn't mean they have to keep playing him. He's not a starting quarterback. They need an upgrade, and Jones would be a significant one.

In addition, Jones would fit the Dolphins' system, considering their head coach, Mike McDaniel, used to be Shanahan's offensive coordinator on the 49ers.