The 2026 NFL season will be a big one for the San Francisco 49ers. Coming off of a promising 2025 campaign in which they finished 12-5 and returned to the playoffs, the 49ers are hungry to prove that they can improve even more and return to being true Super Bowl contenders. Injuries hampered them from reaching their full potential but if they can mitigate that issue, expect the 49ers to be a major threat this fall.

But one bright spot for the 49ers all year long was at quarterback. Missing starter Brock Purdy to a toe injury for part of the year, the 49ers turned to Mac Jones to run the show, hoping he would play well enough to keep the team afloat. Well, Jones was everything that the 49ers needed and more, not only going 5-3 as a starter and keeping the 49ers alive in the playoff race, but he put together his best statistical season. While a lot of teams needed a starting quarterback for this season, the 49ers have not moved Jones and as it turns out, trading Jones was never on the 49ers’ mind this offseason.

Shanahan Speaks on Trading Jones

There are still some teams with major questions at quarterback but for the most part, the vacancies have been filled– and Jones is still on the roster with one year remaining on his deal. Having a good backup is crucial and with Purdy susceptible to an injury at any time, the 49ers have clung onto Jones with everything they have. Speaking to the media at the NFL owners meeting in Arizona, head coach Kyle Shanahan revealed that he never felt that Jones would be traded this offseason.

“No, there wasn’t,” Shanahan said when asked if he thought Jones would be traded.

Teams that still have not made moves to address the quarterback position include the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, but both of those teams appear comfortable with where they are at. The Cardinals could roll with Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew while the Steelers are hoping that future Hall of Famer, Aaron Rodgers, returns for another season.

Jones’ First Season with the 49ers

A former first round pick by the New England Patriots in 2021, Jones had a strong rookie season but regressed shortly after, leading to him being traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars ahead of the 2024 season after a couple of rough years with the Patriots. Then, once the final season of his rookie deal expired, Jones signed with the 49ers and took over for Purdy after he injured his toe in week one of the ’25 campaign.

In eight starts, Jones completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Grasping the offense very quickly, Jones played so well that there were points in the season when fans wanted him to start, even when Purdy returned. But, having Jones as a backup gives the 49ers added insurance in case Purdy gets hurt again in the future.