Why the 49ers Don't Want to Trade Mac Jones

This is interesting.

The 49ers are not expected to trade Mac Jones this offseason, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini. Jones has one year left on his deal and wants to be a starting quarterback. Naturally, there's speculation that the 49ers would trade him for the right price.

But what is that price? I'm guessing the 49ers would trade Mac Jones for a first-round pick in a heartbeat if a team were to offer one for him, but they probably won't. He was seen as a bust until just this season, when he started eight games and won five of them.

The most the 49ers probably could get in a trade for Jones is a third-round pick, considering the team acquiring him immediately would have to give him an extension that pays him starting-quarterback money -- at least $30 million per season.

What would the 49ers do with a third-round pick? Spend it on another linebacker who never plays, or another running back who never plays, or another wide receiver who never plays?

Sep 7, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch watches pregame warmups against the Sea — Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Truthfully, the 49ers can't afford to trade Jones for a player who might not be good enough to contribute, because the starting quarterback, Brock Purdy, has missed 10 games the past two seasons. And if he misses an extended period of time again in 2026 and the 49ers don't have Jones to keep the team afloat, they could miss the playoffs, and someone could get fired.

Remember, John Lynch is entering the final season of his contract, and Kyle Shanahan's deal will expire after 2027. They're still working for their extensions. As opposed to Sean McVay and Les Snead, who got extended by the Rams last week.

And there's no guarantee that the 49ers will extend Lynch and Shanahan. They're both extremely expensive, and so is Purdy, who got an extension last year. Do the 49ers want to pay through the nose for Lynch and Shanahan while Purdy is the seventh-highest-paid player in the NFL? Probably not if they miss the playoffs next season.

Feb 5, 2026; San Franciso, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy on the Pat McAfee show set at the Super Bowl — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Which means Jones provides Lynch and Shanahan job security. Can't expect them to trade Jones and plan for a future that might not include them. Especially when the franchise quarterback hasn't proven that he can stay healthy.

I imagine the 49ers would love a team to offer them a first-round pick for Jones at the NFL Scouting Combine in a few weeks, and maybe one will. Barring that mircale, Jones will stay with the 49ers for at least one more season.

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