Niners backup QB Mac Jones embraces trade talk, wants to 'be a starter' again in NFL like Sam Darnold

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Mac Jones played well for the San Francisco 49ers this season, and he’s anxious to see what comes next.

Jones, 27, watched his career go sideways with the New England Patriots, and he spent a year in Jacksonville before landing with the 49ers last offseason. The landing spot could not have been better, as Jones started eight games for the contending Niners, keeping them afloat for two different stretches while starter Brock Purdy was injured.

Jones played arguably some of the best football of his career last season, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. The quarterback told NFL Network’s The Insiders that it was in some ways the career reset he needed, working with Kyle Shanahan and a talented 49ers offense for a team in contention.

“Getting back to having fun and being around a group of guys that I really mesh well with, coaches and players,” Jones said Wednesday. “I felt like it was very laid back, but we put in a lot of work in OTAs. Just for them to take me under their wing and for me to learn from all the Hall of Fame players we have, it was awesome.

“Kyle has been great for me. We’re really on the same … I call it ‘wi-fi.’ We’re just a really good match.”

But Jones also understands that his best chance to start might be with another team. He’s under contract for the 2026 season with the 49ers, having signed a two-year contract last year, and said he’d be “really excited” to spend next season in San Francisco, even if there might be starting jobs open elsewhere.

“Honestly, it’s a business. You know how this goes,” Jones said. “I’ve proven I can be a starter. I’ve proven I can be a starter in multiple different spots. I have 50-plus starts or whatever. I know how to do it, but it’s also a business. I understand both sides of it.”

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Jones’ name has come up as a possible starting option for other teams, and he’s aware of the chatter. If Jones is traded elsewhere, he said he hopes to land in a similar situation to San Francisco where there’s a strong supporting cast for him and the team to thrive.

“If you’re a quarterback that’s a free agent or could get traded or whatever your situation is, you want to go somewhere that fits and makes sense,” Jones said. “At the end of the day, that’s what I want in San Francisco. We’ll see what happens. It’s good to be talked about.”

One of this year’s Super Bowl quarterbacks, Sam Darnold, took a somewhat comparable path, moving to the 49ers for one year after failed stints with the Jets and Panthers. After a year in successful Minnesota, Darnold turned that into a long-term starting opportunity with the Seahawks, and it has paid off immensely.

Jones has seen how Darnold parlayed his one year with Shanahan into bigger things and is taking notes.

“I get asked that a lot. Everyone’s journey is so different,” Jones said. “I feel like I’ve watched him in interviews, and he does say that learning from Kyle and Brock really changed his career. I see why now. I’ve learned so much this year.

“I know Sam probably felt the same way (in his one year in San Francisco). You can see it on the tape, there’s a lot of crossover.”

Jones also said that the knee injury he managed during his starting run didn’t affect his play, and he didn’t indicate that it remains a long-term concern.

“I think (the team) did a great job (with the injury),” Jones said. “I felt healthy this year. I didn’t miss any snaps. I played every snap. I am a guy where, unless I am severely injured, I am not missing anything.”

Now Jones must wait to find out his path for 2026 — running it back for the 49ers or competing for a starting job with another team.

“It’s definitely motivating for me,” he said. “I feel I can do that. I have my swag back, and I feel like that’s important for me. I can go out there and win games for whoever.”

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