Mac Jones has landed in San Francisco, and he’s not pretending the path there was straightforward.
The 49ers once used three first-round picks to climb from No. 12 overall and draft Trey Lance in 2021, the same draft that saw Jones go 15th overall. Looking back on that moment, Jones joked that San Francisco could have simply stayed put and taken him there instead.
“I remember, like, all the hype leading up to it, but yeah, I think everything happens for a reason,” Jones said, via the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast. “I’m here where I’m at now, and I did think they traded up for somebody, and I knew it was one of two people, and I was one of the people. So, I guess if you’re a gambling man, it’s a 50-50 shot at the start.”
“You could have just picked me at 12. I don’t know if I’m worth three first-round picks, but s-, sign me up.”
Jones also said he believes San Francisco had interest in bringing him in even before he arrived with the 49ers.
“I think, even the year I got traded, they were trying to get me back in San Francisco, from Patriots to Jaguars. So they were trying to get me to San Francisco then, but they ended up not doing it.”
Now with the 49ers, Jones said Kyle Shanahan played a major role in helping him get his career moving in the right direction.
“ Kyle … he knows football and he’s like, ‘This kid got screwed. I can get this kid back on track, ‘” Jones said, via Niners Wire.
“ I feel like he really saw that and honestly, he did, and now I’m going to keep doing that. I really appreciate it ’cause Kyle, it’s always been me and Kyle and I feel like that was always supposed to happen.
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In Arizona, Cardinals tackle Paris Johnson Jr. is heading into the final year of his rookie deal before the fifth-year option kicks in for 2027. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN noted that the Cardinals have a track record of working out some of their longer extensions around the start of training camp, which keeps a new deal for Johnson in play.
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