At the end of a week when the San Francisco 49ers reached that ever-approaching lip of the salary cap waterfall and power-washed an expensive and aging roster of some key and even long-beloved players, they made some additions as well. These were functionally special teams’ standouts and reserves, none particularly newsworthy. Yet one addition was more unexpected than the others, and that was Wednesday’s signing of free-agent quarterback Mac Jones.
While Deebo Samuel, Kyle Juszczyk, Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, Charvarius Ward, and other notable stars were packed up and headed toward new destinations, Jones was flying in from the opposite direction and preparing himself to meet his new boss and mentor, 49ers’ Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, the very man who—if you believe the rumor mill—was secretly trying hard to draft him four years ago. The move that hypothetically could have cost the 49ers those expensive picks that were squandered on Trey Lance—grabbing Mac Jones in the first round—was never made, and now that same quarterback is in San Francisco straight out of the bargain bin. It is indeed a wonderful and somewhat bizarre football world in which we exist.
Objectively, it’s hard to say with certainty whether Jones would be a better quarterback if he was given a path different than what he was forced to walk. But it seems logical that starting with Shanahan versus what he got in New England would have shaped him into a much better player. Jacksonville, too, has failed to develop Trevor Lawrence, and that may be a reason to be suspicious of the chances Jones has received so far. Bad offensive coaching more than Jones’ limited talent, may have been the greater issue there. For Jones, a quarterback trying to recover from a slump under an incompetent offense in New England, Jacksonville was probably the worst place he could have gone.
Even giving Jones the benefit of the doubt, the idea that he poses an immediate or even an eventual threat to Purdy’s status as the 49ers’ starting quarterback is baseless. Jones has had no success that remotely compares to what Purdy has accomplished, and that seems to bring irrelevance to any idea that Jones is a suggested weapon of replacement for Brock Purdy as contract talks heat up. Jones is a backup. Full stop.
There’s no doubt Purdy’s agent Kyle Strongin held a slightly better edge last week when it looked like Purdy and second-year player Tanner Mordecai might be the only quarterbacks on the 49ers’ roster entering the draft. But Strongin still has several points of advantage, as do Lynch and Company, who still control Purdy on his rookie deal. As such, Purdy’s situation isn’t much affected by the arrival of Jones. Purdy’s got a relatively tight hold on the starting quarterback position by virtue of his game success, especially in the post-season. That fact cannot be overstated
Those suggesting the 49ers are not all-in on Purdy are fooling themselves. The denser media opinions out there suggest they need to see more to properly evaluate Purdy’s game. But the 49ers, and anyone else truly paying attention, should have seen plenty already. The question isn’t whether the team wants Purdy under center, it’s for how much. The addition of backup quarterbacks to push Purdy’s competitive buttons is going to do little to shift the 49ers off of their intention to run with Purdy for the foreseeable future. Nor is it going to cause Strongin to sell Purdy at a discount.
Mac Jones is in San Francisco to potentially save a season from a Purdy injury, not from an anticipated Purdy departure. Jones may or may not live up to his potential, but he’s more likely to live up to Shanahan’s game plan needs than last year’s backup throwers. And that’s all that is expected with the move.
Those suggesting the 49ers are not all-in on Purdy are fooling themselves. The denser media opinions out there suggest they need to see more to properly evaluate Purdy’s game. But the 49ers, and anyone else truly paying attention, should have seen plenty already. The question isn’t whether the team wants Purdy under center, it’s for how much. The addition of backup quarterbacks to push Purdy’s competitive buttons is going to do little to shift the 49ers off of their intention to run with Purdy for the foreseeable future. Nor is it going to cause Strongin to sell Purdy at a discount.
Mac Jones is in San Francisco to potentially save a season from a Purdy injury, not from an anticipated Purdy departure. Jones may or may not live up to his potential, but he’s more likely to live up to Shanahan’s game plan needs than last year’s backup throwers. And that’s all that is expected with the move.