49ers Urged to Sign Former Pro Bowl QB in Free Agency

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The San Francisco 49ers could sign Jacksonville Jaguars QB Mac Jones in free agency.

While the San Francisco 49ers don’t necessarily have a QB problem, they may need to be ready with a new signing in free agency.

Brock Purdy is the guy in San Francisco. It’s not up for debate and it won’t change between now and the beginning of the 2025 season. But Sports Illustrated writer Grant Cohn believes the Niners would be doing themself a disservice by not looking into a passer like Jacksonville Jaguars QB Mac Jones.

“Why not? Purdy definitely is more mobile than Jones, but Jones can move well enough plus he is bigger than Purdy, he has a quicker release than Purdy and he throws a better deep ball than Purdy,” Cohn wrote on December 4. “Jones’ presence alone should bring out the best in Purdy. And if Purdy doesn’t rebound, then the 49ers will have another young talented quarterback they can develop.”

San Francisco is currently rolling with Joshua Dobbs and Brandon Allen as their backups. Dobbs is coming off a relatively impressive 2023 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings, but Jones is a good bit younger and does have a Pro Bowl honor on his resume.

Jones Getting Big Opportunity in Jacksonville

After the end of his time with the New England Patriots ended poorly, Jones was picked up by the Jaguars with the intention for him to back up QB Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence has dealt with a shoulder injury and a concussion this season, and Jones will likely end the year with 7 starts for Jacksonville.

It’s been less than ideal so far, though. Jones has completed 62% of his passes for 562 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His rating is a meager 70.6.

Granted, Jones is trying to impress on one of the worst teams in the NFL. It’s not going to be easy for him to get much going. If anything, what would be encouraging for 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and the team’s front office is how his career started.

Jones threw for 3801 passing yards as a rookie, tossing 22 TDs to 13 INTs. He finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and made the Pro Bowl. It’s been a struggle since, but Jones just turned 26 and could still develop.

Shanahan has shown the ability to take a QB with promise and actualize their potential. The same could happen with Jones.

49ers Urged to Pay Brock Purdy

While Cohn believes Purdy needs better competition, The Athletic columnist Mike Silver thinks the Niners should not wait to pay their top QB. In a recent Athletic podcast, Silver made his case for extending Purdy early.

“I would say yes and I think Kyle [Shanahan] decided that long ago. Like Christmas two years ago, honestly, when he was thrown in,” Silver said about Purdy and a mega extension. “But this is a new world, right? And so instead of having this collection of highly-paid, in-their-prime All-Stars, and a quarterback on the cheapest rookie deal ever — whether its [$60 million] or not, I don’t know — I would just urge the 49ers, based on recent history, figure it out and do it quick. Like do it early. Don’t make this a thing that drags out based on how that’s affected them.”

It’s a massive investment, and the 49ers will have to weigh up all of their options. But if they believe that Purdy is deserving of a big deal, paying him as quickly as possible will likely save them a lot of money.

Evan Reier is a sports journalist covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. He previously covered sports for the Montana Standard and was a managing editor for Outsider. More about Evan Reier