Mac Jones may not be the headline name in San Francisco’s Week 2 buildup, but he could end up being one of the 49ers’ most useful pieces.
The 49ers head into their matchup with the Miami Dolphins at 1-0, fresh off a win over the Los Angeles Rams and with Brock Purdy already looking like an early MVP candidate. But the opening week came with a real price.
Alfred Collins and Jake Tonges were both lost for the season while the team was in Australia, and rookie De'Zhaun Stribling is reportedly set to miss close to 10 games. With the depth chart thinning fast, San Francisco may have a reason to lean more heavily on Jones against Miami.
Jones has already shown he can steady the offense in this system. After a rough start to his career with the Patriots and Jaguars, he settled into the backup role behind Purdy last season and delivered 13 touchdowns against six interceptions. In eight spot starts, he helped the 49ers win five games.
That production is part of why his name keeps coming up in trade talk. There was speculation in the offseason that San Francisco might try to move him for a significant return, especially with Purdy expected to open the year healthy. Nothing came together, though, and Jones stayed on the 53-man roster.
The 49ers have reason to revisit that idea now. Jones followed a similar path to Sam Darnold in 2025, another quarterback who looked stuck before spending a year under Kyle Shanahan.
Darnold’s turnaround in Minnesota and his Super Bowl season in Seattle were described as nothing short of miraculous. Jones had that same kind of reset in San Francisco last year, and the possibility of a bigger career revival still exists.
If the 49ers want to move him, Week 2 could be the perfect stage to remind the league what he can do. San Francisco is a double-digit favorite, and Miami was just blown out by the middling Raiders. Purdy will start, but Jones could still get work in the second half if the game turns lopsided.
That matters because quarterback injuries change the market quickly. Right now, there aren’t many teams actively hunting for a passer, but that can flip in a hurry if the wrong starter goes down. If Jones gets on the field Sunday and puts up numbers against a shaky Dolphins secondary, he could become a much more attractive trade chip.
Even if the return isn’t the big haul the 49ers once imagined, Jones could still help them. Whether it’s draft picks or help at tight end, wide receiver, or along the defensive line, San Francisco needs more talent elsewhere. In that sense, getting Jones back in the conversation might be one of the more valuable outcomes of Week 2.
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