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This is admittedly speculation, not breaking news, but the idea certainly makes sense. Palmer also believes that the 49ers could “probably” get the other team to “overpay a little bit.” Again, this tracks, especially if a playoff contender wants to keep their season alive. Palmer thinks Jones is also already aware of this being a potential scenario. That said, the 49ers added $300,000 in incentives to the final year of Jones’ contract, which happens to be this upcoming season. They wanted to keep him happy after how well he handled spot starts for QB Brock Purdy in 2025, and they could always choose to keep him in-house, given his reliability.

Jones, who could have started elsewhere this season if the Niners had found a trading partner, will now make $3.55 million in 2026, with another $2.25 million available in incentives. Jones will be a free agent after the 2026 season. The Niners reportedly wanted a first-round draft pick in exchange for Jones. The veteran threw for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions last season over eight games as the Niners’ starter. Jones in 2025 was tenth in EPA per drop back, just behind Sam Darnold and Patrick Mahomes.

This comes after Lynch said he was surprised no teams made a trade offer for Jones during Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. While Lynch may be surprised, the rest of the league may not be, as it was reported back in March that teams around the league believed the 49ers’ asking price for Jones was “astronomical” for the 27-year-old signal-caller. While anything remains possible, all signs seem to point to the Niners preferring to retain Jones for next season after he threw for 2,151-13-6 in just 11 games last season. Jones’ contract expires at the end of next season. It’s possible a few strong outings in 2026 could help generate a decent market for him in free agency during the 2027 offseason.

The idea of Mac Jones starting somewhere in 2026 had a lot of gas in late January and February, but it has crashed in March as teams have been reluctant to meet San Francisco’s asking price. We’re not entirely sure why the 49ers would rather keep Jones as a backup than have, say, a third-round pick. Especially when they manufactured Jones’ value all on their own this past year after he was not exactly a first-wave free-agent signing in 2025. They could simply do that again with a different quarterback. But they seem to be anchored on keeping Jones.

Jones is signed through the 2026 season but could see significant interest from quarterback-needy teams this spring. Howe said “with that talented roster and coach Kyle Shanahan, the Niners don’t want a season to go to waste if Purdy goes down again. Since Jones was a major reason the Niners stayed afloat in 2025, they could rightfully be stubborn and hold out for a first-round offer.” This, along with a recent report that the market for Jones is not expected to be “robust,” suggests the veteran will remain in San Francisco for at least one more season. Jones in 2025 was fifth among all QBs in drop back success rate. Purdy, meanwhile, led the NFL in success rate.

These notes come from the Athletic’s Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur. In the article, they note that while the Niners aren’t looking to trade Jones, they “definitely expected to be tempted by a third-round-pick offer — if not higher.” In his first year with the 49ers Jones put together a solid 2151-13-6 line on 289 passes while posting a career-high 69.6 completion percentage. Given the current state of the quarterback market, it’s somewhat surprising to hear that a team hasn’t made a call about Jones, but there’s still time to let things unfold to see if a team whose free agency didn’t go as planned decides to extend an offer for the former No. 15 overall pick.

Jones started a few games for the 49ers in 2025, putting himself on the radar for quarterback-needy teams. However, Lynch said Jones has been “really good for us and we value that...I think we’re a better team with him on it.” The 49ers value Jones as a capable backup quarterback behind Brock Purdy, who has missed time due to injury over the last couple seasons. If a team values Jones as a starter and crafts a strong offer, Lynch and the 49ers would at least consider trading the 27-year-old.

Jones “didn’t just look like a starter in 2025 but someone who could lead an imperfect team.” Per Barrows, Quarterback-needy teams could be hoping that Jones becomes the next “Shanahan reclamation project” after watching Sam Darnold lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 and the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2025. Darnold spent the 2023 season as a 49ers backup. The incoming rookie quarterback class is currently viewed as a thin group, which could spur teams to pursue Jones via a trade rather than rolling the dice on a questionable prospect. Barrows notes that the Dolphins, Cardinals and Vikings “are running Shanahan’s offense or something similar,” and views all three as potentially interested parties.

Yes, we are again banging the drum that the 49ers may get an offer they can’t refuse for Jones, who has only $1 million in guaranteed salary in 2026 and could be a major upgrade for the Vikings over J.J. McCarthy. Lewis believes the 49ers will “drive a hard bargain” for Jones. As has been rumored for a bit, it would likely take a Day 2 pick for the 49ers to move on from Jones, and perhaps a second-rounder rather than a third-rounder.

Barrows concludes by saying he thinks the 49ers could get a second-round pick for Jones, or perhaps a third-round pick and a sweetener. While we don’t doubt that the 49ers think their team stability is worth a lot at quarterback — and we’ve heard both national reporters and Kyle Shanahan say recently that they don’t think they’ll move on from Jones — at some point the 49ers need to embrace the fact that they rehabbed his value from nothing and could likely do so again with a different quarterback. Given how thirsty things might get on the quarterback streets this year, we concur with Barrows that there’s a real chance Jones goes for a Day 2 pick.

This report comes on the heels of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan telling reporters last month he’d be very surprised if Jones wasn’t on the team in 2026. With quarterback options limited in the draft and free agency, Jones, who has one year left on the two-year deal he signed in San Francisco, could be attractive to quarterback-needy teams this offseason. While the team doesn’t appear interested in the slightest in moving off of the backup QB that went 5-3 as a starter in 2025, that could change once other teams start making offers for the 27-year-old signal caller.

Jones went 5-3 as the 49ers’ starter while Brock Purdy was out with a foot injury. He finished the regular season ranked 10th in EPA per play. He is a great backup for Shanahan’s system, but the 49ers could also get a haul in return for Jones on the trade market. Both the free agent pool and the draft class are thin at quarterback, and plenty of teams will need one this offseason. With one year left on his current deal, a desperate team would likely send a Day Two pick to San Francisco for Jones’s services. For now, it looks like the team will keep him in the fold, but that could change once offers start rolling in.

The rub is that Jones is under contract for just $4.66 million in 2026, so a team trading for him at that number can afford to do quite a bit of maneuvering with the cap. Breer lists the Vikings, Dolphins, and Cardinals as teams that could potentially look at Jones this offseason. The Vikings scenario makes all the sense in the world considering Jones would be able to send McCarthy to the bench barring drastic offseason improvement from the second-year signal caller. Jones has thrown for 2151 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while winning 5-of-8 starts with Brock Purdy sidelined this year.

That the 49ers couldn’t keep up with the Rams offensively wasn’t a huge surprise — but Jones was just fine, as he was against the Rams on Thursday night a few weeks ago. A fumble, dead zone punt, and turnover on downs ended some key drives early, and Jones finally broke with an interception on a fourth-and-4 go in the fourth quarter. But the 49ers have largely been getting all they could ask for out of Jones. If Brock Purdy isn’t able to go next week — a sentence we have been writing a lot in these blurbs — Jones will be a high-end superflex QB2 against the Cardinals in Week 11.

Jones picked apart the Giants’ banged-up secondary in the first half, completing all 14 of his attempts for 143 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The 49ers took their foot off the gas in the second half, letting Christian McCaffrey rack up 28 carries with another five going to Brian Robinson. Jones, in turn, completed just five passes in the second half. Jones has done his job filling in for Brock Purdy this year, going 5-2 with 10 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Purdy could be back from his foot issue next week, sending Jones back to the bench. Superflex managers, however, will want to hold onto Jones until Purdy is confirmed as the starter. If Jones gets another start in Week 10, he will sit in the middle of the QB2 ranks versus the Rams.

Jones suffered a knee contusion during Sunday’s Week 8 loss to the Texans, but he’ll be ready to play. The question is if he’ll start that game with Brock Purdy (toe) potentially being ready to return, but it’s more likely than not that Jones will be under center against the Giants in Week 9.

Jones was willing to take plenty of chances downfield in this one, and after the 49ers bumbled to a first half with just one touchdown, Kyle Shanahan eventually found some concepts to work with in the second half. Jones connected with Jake Tonges on an easy play-action touchdown on the goal line, while George Kittle did the work in a crowd of three for the other score. A late pick trying to complete an 11-point comeback late is not surprising or all that worthy of shame. Jones had an 11.2 aDOT and was able to hunt deep as the 49ers added extra players in protection. If Jones is able to hold the starting job another week, he stumbles into an interesting spot against the Giants that could park him on the upper end of the QB2 line.

Almost half of Jones’ 152 yards through the air were accounted for by running back Christian McCaffrey in a game the two teams combined for only 616 yards of total offense, but the veteran journeyman again did enough to will the 49ers to another victory. Jones is now 4-1 as a starter for the 49ers, playing through injury the previous two games while keeping the team tied with the Rams atop the NFC West. The box scores haven’t always looked pretty, but Jones continues to do his job by keeping the team competitive until Brock Purdy’s eventual return under center. It is unclear if he will be tasked with another start in Week 8, but fantasy expectations should be held in check should his number be called against a tough Texans team.

Jones was limited on Wednesday before being upgraded to full on Thursday. The 49ers’ fill-in starter has thrown for at least 279 passing yards in four games this season while twice totaling multiple passing touchdowns. He cleared 340-plus passing yards in each of the last two weeks. Jones is a borderline QB1/2, helming head coach Kyle Shanahan’s efficiently schemed offense.

Laboring notably at points while dealing with his knee and oblique injuries, Jones posted respectable passing totals but threw a back-breaking interception in the fourth quarter that it looked like he didn’t even attempt to read out. His first pick, in the first quarter, was nearly a pick-six but Tampa Bay’s Kindle Vildor got caught by the turf monster twice on the return. Kyle Shanahan is working magic every week to get a banged-up Jones to throw for as much yardage as he has, but it’s clear that Jones is struggling when the easy buttons go away. A Sunday Night Football matchup against the rejuvenated (for now) Falcons pass defense would seem to be a QB2 spot for Jones.