NFL Mock Trade: Jets Land Former First Rounder to be New Franchise QB

The Jets could take a chance on Mac Jones in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers...

Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the San Francisco 49ers helmets against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The New York Jets desperately need to add a quarterback to their roster this offseason.

They took a chance on Justin Fields last offseason, and it didn't pay off. As a result, they need a new franchise quarterback and the options are limited. The NFL draft only has one, maybe two, potential franchise quarterbacks. Free agency is lacking talent and depth. As a result, the Jets could turn to the trade block.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan recently put together a mock trade that would send San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones and a 2027 third round pick to the Jets in exchange for a 2026 second round pick, which is the No. 44 pick in this year's NFL draft.

Mac Jones would be worth a trade for the Jets

"How desperate are the New York Jets to find a quarterback? The franchise has endured 10 straight under-.500 seasons and is fresh off a 3-14 campaign in 2025 that saw them finish last in the AFC East for the seventh time in the last decade," Sullivan wrote. "For a minute, it looked like their quarterback issues would be solved after landing the No. 2 overall pick. However, after Oregon's Dante Moore decided to go back to school, there is now no viable option for them to take at that spot.

"That could force them into the trade market for a player like Jones, and, depending on the urgency the Jets regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey feels, they could be willing to make a splash. If they dangled the 33rd overall pick, the 49ers would have to pounce, but that seems unlikely. However, the Jets do have another second-round pick they received from the Dallas Cowboys that sits at No. 44 overall."

Jones looked very good for the 49ers in a limited role last season. He was able to keep them afloat while Brock Purdy and others were injured last season. But Jones doesn't have a future in San Francisco because Purdy is the franchise quarterback.

Adding a reclamation project like Jones to the Jets could make or break his career. Players like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold have enjoyed career revivals in new situations. Jones could be the next candidate for the job, while the Jets could use three picks in the first 33 picks of the NFL draft to bolster the roster around him.