The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback situation got a little more interesting after the team trimmed Adrian Martinez but still carried three passers on the roster. That choice, according to ESPN, leaves the door open for a possible Mac Jones trade.
Nick Wagoner wrote that “The Niners were always going to have starter Brock Purdy and backup Mac Jones on the initial 53-man roster,” but added that keeping Kurtis Rourke as the third quarterback points to where the position could be headed.
Rourke’s camp showing was strong enough to earn real trust from the 49ers, even after he suffered a rib injury in the team’s first preseason game. He still made the 53-man roster, which says plenty about how the team views his value.
That also creates a different kind of pressure on Jones. With the quarterback in the final year of his deal, San Francisco is comfortable keeping him as Purdy’s primary backup for now. But as Wagoner noted, the growing belief in Rourke could “reopen the possibility of trading Jones at some point.”
“If not, Rourke, once he heals up, has a chance to show he's capable of being the top backup to Purdy in the not-too-distant future.”
That setup gives the 49ers a possible trade piece to monitor as the season moves along. If a team in need of a quarterback comes calling and the 49ers think the move can help them in a playoff push, Jones could become part of the conversation.
Jones’ name has already surfaced in plenty of trade talk, and there’s at least a case to be made that he could end up in the kind of career arc Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield have had. He has played for three teams, and he hasn’t been the primary starter since his first two seasons with the Patriots.
There’s also the contract angle, though Jones said he isn’t spending time worrying about where he stands with it. As he told 49erswebzone.com:
“It's hard because what if it went the other way?” Jones said.
“What if I was on a one-year deal and played like crap? And then, I'm on the street.”
In Other News...
49ers Defensive Front Just Lost A Rookie They Were Counting On
Mykel Williams rookie year is starting with an unexpected pause after the 49ers placed the defensive lineman on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, pushing back his debut by at least the first four games. The first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft had been part of the plan for a front that expected to lean on its young pass rush talent, but an ACL injury has changed the opening stretch and ensured he will not be on the field for the season opener.
San Francisco has already set its 53-man roster, and the edge-rusher group will have to carry the load without him for now, with Sam Okuayinou, Keion White and Romello Height among the names on the list. The early absence matters because Williams was supposed to help line up next to Nick Bosa, and now the 49ers will have to find out how much pressure they can generate before their rookie defender is eligible to return. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Lost A Defender They Wanted To Keep
The 49ers roster churn is still rolling as teams around the league sort through waiver claims and the next round of practice-squad and injured reserve moves. San Francisco had been trying to keep its depth intact, but the early action already trimmed away some familiar names, with the Raiders grabbing Darrell Luter, the Chiefs taking Bryson Eason, and the Colts landing Kapena Gushiken.
There is still more movement to come before the day is done, and that is where the 49ers will get their next look at how the back end of the roster settles. Christian Jones and Isaiah Foskey were also part of the broader conversation around roster decisions and development, which is exactly why these post-cutdown hours can matter so much for a team trying to preserve young talent wherever it can. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Just Got A Harsh Early Reality Check In The NFC West
The NFC West already looked unforgiving for San Francisco, and now the early path has gotten even steeper. Reports that Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement to return to the Los Angeles Rams only add to a roster that already carried plenty of defensive bite, and the comparison between the two teams has tilted further toward Los Angeles on both sides of the ball. For a 49ers team trying to navigate a division that rarely offers much breathing room, it is the kind of development that forces an immediate reset of expectations.
The timing makes it even tougher to ignore because the 49ers are set to see the Rams first in Melbourne, Australia, a stage that will amplify whatever edge Los Angeles believes it has. San Francisco can still make its own case over the course of the season, but the matchup in front of it now looks like more than just an opener. It feels like an early test of whether the 49ers can keep pace in a division where the margin for error may already be shrinking. [Read more 🡒]