What it would take for the San Francisco 49ers to trade Mac Jones

The price won't be cheap.

Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers have said that they hope for Mac Jones to be on the roster next season, and they would be surprised if he were anywhere else. In the same answer, they said that they would be open to listening to trade calls on any players. There is a thought that the 49ers sent a message to the league that you can call for Jones, but you better have a strong offer because they are not going to give him away. 

What would an offer be that could end up forcing the 49ers to trade Mac Jones?

What can San Francisco 49ers acquire for Mac Jones?

There have not been many situations that are comparable in recent years. Typically, teams will wait until the backup is a free agent to take a swing at him as the starter. Since 2020, only three scenarios involved an offseason trade of a quarterback where that player would have been a potential backup on the trading team and a potential starter on the acquiring team.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded a fourth-round pick for Nick Foles after he won the Super Bowl. He was a superb backup but was not going to replace Carson Wentz. It did not go well for the Jaguars.

The Indianapolis Colts traded a third-round pick for Matt Ryan after a new General Manager and Head coach started a rebuild process in Atlanta. This is a bit different because Ryan is very well acclaimed, but many knew this would likely be his last season, and he was valued as a stopgap or low-end starter at that point. This did not go well for the Colts. 

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders traded a third-round pick for Geno Smith after the Seattle Seahawks pivoted to Sam Darnold. Smith has a stronger resume than Jones, but he also came with a much worse salary, so the cost to acquire could be comparable. Interestingly enough, this did not go well for the Raiders.

So, the team trading the quarterback has always won the trade, and the team trying to make a backup their starter has always failed. Maybe the 49ers should trade Jones. 

Beyond that, the cost seems to be set. A third or fourth round pick is likely what teams are offering. However, San Francisco made it clear that they will not give Jones away for this price, and they need to be blown away. 

San Francisco could not turn down a second-round pick for Mac Jones, and even a third-round pick plus a little more should be able to get the job done, regardless of how bad the team wants their backup to stay.