San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had his eyes on two quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft:
Trey Lance and Mac Jones.
The 49ers took Lance out of North Dakota State, and he was an absolute bust who is no longer in the organization.
Now, Shanahan gets his chance to work with Jones.
The 49ers reportedly reached a two-year agreement with Jones on Monday night to be the backup to Brock Purdy, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The contract is worth $7 million, with $5 million guaranteed, and can rise up to $11.5 million with certain incentives.
MORE: Steelers free agent Russell Wilson drops F bombs in cringeworthy post
Reports during the 2021 draft season had the 49ers tied to Lance and Jones, and Shanahan actually admitted as much on a podcast in 2022 when discussing their trade up to the No. 3 overall selection to draft a quarterback.
“We did the trade so early that it made me feel good about it,” Shanahan said. “I knew before we did it how I felt about the quarterbacks and how good we would be to take them at 12. There were two that I really wanted… Mac Jones and Trey [Lance]. Those were the two guys that we were locked in on from the beginning.”
Jones wound up sliding to the No. 15 overall selection by the New England Patriots.
He played three seasons with the Pats, compiling an 18-24 record as a starter. A 10-7 rookie season quickly turned into two underwhelming follow-up efforts.
That led to Jones’ move to Jacksonville for 2024, where he backed up Trevor Lawrence but wound up starting seven games and going 2-5 with eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions.
As much as Shanahan may have wanted Jones back then, it’s clear the 49ers have a franchise QB in Purdy. San Francisco fans will be hoping Jones doesn’t see the field at all. But if he does, maybe the hopes Shanahan had for Jones four years ago could still come to some fruition.
MORE:
