The San Francisco 49ers are making a key addition to their quarterback room, as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that they are signing 2021 first-round pick Mac Jones to a two-year, $7 million deal.
49ers sign Mac Jones to a two-year deal
Jones is signing on to be the backup to Brock Purdy and is a solid QB2 for San Francisco to have. The 49ers are coming off an injury-riddled season in which they went just 6-11 and missed the postseason after reaching the Super Bowl the year prior.
Jones spent last season backing up Trevor Lawrence with the Jacksonville Jaguars and appeared in 10 games with seven starts as Lawrence missed time with an injury. Jones threw 1,672 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions in those games. Jacksonville was just 2-5 in his starts.
The former first-round pick spent his first three seasons with the New England Patriots and led them to the playoffs in his rookie season. He recorded 3,801 passing yards, a 67.6% completion rate and 22 touchdowns in that season.
Jones will hope to turn his career around in San Francisco
However, his career has trended in the wrong direction ever since, struggling badly with turnovers and inaccurate passes. The 49ers have been known to be a good system for quarterbacks under head coach Kyle Shanahan, so the hope is that Jones can learn under the system and potentially turn his career around if the opportunity comes for him.
Recent late-career breakout Sam Darnold spent a year under Shanahan and the 49ers before his big-time 2024 season with the Vikings.
The 49ers could look a lot different next season, and they clearly want to have quarterback insurance in the event that they suffer another injury-riddled season in 2025.
