Mac Jones Reflects on 49ers Fit, Seahawks Celebrate Super Bowl Run Built on Team Identity
Mac Jones and Kyle Shanahan: A Reconnection Years in the Making
When the 49ers signed quarterback Mac Jones last offseason, it wasn’t just about adding depth behind Brock Purdy - it was a reunion that had been brewing since the 2021 NFL Draft. Jones recently revealed that Kyle Shanahan had his eye on him back then, and while the draft took a different turn, the connection between coach and quarterback never faded.
“Kyle and I, we just have a great relationship,” Jones said. “He wanted me to be here with him when I was coming out of the draft. Obviously, it went in different ways, but that’s what it’s all about - reconnecting with people that either see value in you or whatnot.”
For Jones, who stepped in during the 2025 season when Purdy was sidelined, finally getting a firsthand look at Shanahan’s system was a long-awaited opportunity. He’d heard the stories - about Shanahan’s command of the run game, his creativity in the passing attack, and the way he leads team meetings - but seeing it up close gave him a new level of appreciation.
“Just hearing the stories about Kyle and how he sees the run game and the pass game and running the team meetings, and it was just interesting,” Jones said. “And finally, I got to see it this year, and that was just awesome.”
Jones’ comments reflect a quarterback who’s not just happy to be on a roster, but genuinely intrigued by the system he’s now a part of. For a player once linked so closely to Shanahan’s vision during the 2021 draft process, this feels like a full-circle moment - and perhaps a second chance to prove he belongs in a scheme tailor-made for his skill set.
In other 49ers news, wide receiver Jauan Jennings’ contract officially voided on February 12th, making him a free agent.
Seahawks’ Super Bowl Journey: Built One Day at a Time
Over in Seattle, the Seahawks are still riding high from their Super Bowl victory - and if you ask head coach Mike Macdonald, the secret wasn’t some grand master plan. It was about showing up, every day, and doing the work.
“I don’t know if you’re going to believe this, but I didn’t know,” Macdonald said when asked if there was a moment he thought they’d win it all. “You’re just trying to do the best you can with the type of team you want to create. It’s really that simple.”
Macdonald’s approach was refreshingly grounded. No talk of timelines or expectations. Just a focus on building the right habits, stacking good days, and letting the results take care of themselves.
“You go to Green Bay for a practice. Have a great practice.
You go to Kansas City, we want to work on this, they nail it that way,” he explained. “You have a bad day at practice.
What are we gonna do the next day to rebound? They rebound.
They just always answer the bell, no matter what we ask them to do.”
That consistency, that ability to respond - it’s what carried Seattle through the season and into the postseason gauntlet. By the time they were making their playoff push, the mindset hadn’t changed. It was still about the next game, the next rep, the next opportunity to get better.
General manager John Schneider took it a step further, drawing parallels between this team and the 2013 Super Bowl squad - a group defined by its swagger and edge. Schneider sees echoes of that identity in this year’s roster, particularly in cornerback Devon Witherspoon and running back Kenneth Walker.
“Their swag on defense - with Spoon and Sherm,” Schneider said, referencing Witherspoon and Richard Sherman. “The way we ran the ball tonight, [Kenneth] Walker and Marshawn [Lynch].
They play for each other. They’re swaggy.”
But there’s a key difference. While the 2013 team thrived on a chip-on-the-shoulder mentality, this group is more unified, more team-focused from the jump.
“Those guys were way more chip-on-their-shoulder,” Schneider said. “Not that that team didn’t play for each other, but those guys were kind of like, I’m a fifth-round draft pick, but I’m better than that. These guys are like, If we can do this together as a team, we can dominate everybody.”
Kenneth Walker Makes History in Super Bowl MVP Performance
That team-first mentality was on full display in the Super Bowl, where Kenneth Walker rushed for 135 yards and walked away with MVP honors - the first running back to win the award in 28 years.
But true to form, Walker didn’t make it about himself.
“We worked on the run game all week leading up to the game,” he said. “I’ve got to give the credit to the o-line, the wide receivers, and the tight ends. They were detailed in the run game and did their job, and made my job a lot easier.”
Walker’s performance wasn’t just explosive - it was methodical, a product of a well-executed game plan and a commitment to physicality up front. New England’s defense simply didn’t have answers for the way Seattle controlled the trenches.
In a league that’s become increasingly pass-heavy, Walker’s MVP nod is a reminder that a dominant ground game, when executed at a high level, still has the power to take over the biggest stage in football.
From Mac Jones finding his fit in San Francisco to Seattle’s blueprint for championship success, both stories are rooted in the same idea: football is still a game of relationships, preparation, and execution. Whether it’s a quarterback reconnecting with a coach who believed in him or a team grinding its way to a title, the path to success is rarely flashy - but it’s always earned.