49ers land significant haul in hypothetical Mac Jones trade

[ASFN Admin]

The San Francisco 49ers have been adamant this offseason that they want to keep backup quarterback Mac Jones for the 2026 season. He still has a year left on his contract and proved in 2025 that he is a viable starter if Brock Purdy were injured.

In eight starts in 11 appearances this past season, Jones completed a career-high 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while leading the team to a 5-3 record in his starts. As such, reports indicated the 49ers would only move Jones for a second-round pick and more — a hefty price for a former first-rounder who flamed out early in his career.

Well, FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano thinks one team should make that move for Jones: The Pittsburgh Steelers. He wrote that Pittsburgh should give up its 2026 second-round pick (No. 53) and 2026 sixth-round pick (No. 216)

They have to find their quarterback of the future because they can’t roll with Aaron Rodgers forever. But this isn’t a good draft to find one, and they’re not likely to be high enough in next year’s draft to get an elite prospect then, either. So why not trade a second-round pick to get one now? Jones showed his value in his eight starts in San Francisco last season, and the former first-rounder is still only 27. He’s not as mobile as Steelers coach Mike McCarthy prefers, but he has all the other tools. And even if Pittsburgh still decides to draft a quarterback next year, he’d be great insurance for Rodgers this year on a team that has postseason goals.

Adding Jones to Pittsburgh makes sense, but trading him away might not for San Francisco. The 49ers needed Jones badly this past year when Purdy went down, and it's not easy to find quality backup quarterbacks in the NFL nowadays. A second-rounder is nice for Jones, but it's not like the 49ers can replace him with a rookie in this class unless they love any other other passers after Fernando Mendoza.

Keeping Jones is great insurance, but the 49ers will eventually need to weigh how much it's worth it to them to keep a backup and eventually let him go for nothing in free agency if another team offers starting-caliber money.

For now, though, it sounds as though the 49ers are content with staying put at backup quarterback.

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL trade rumors: 49ers land Day 2 pick in hypothetical Mac Jones deal

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