After a promising rookie season gave way to three seasons of struggles in his time with the Patriots and Jaguars, quarterback Mac Jones is ready for a fresh start.
Speaking this week after signing with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, Jones said that with a choice in front of him as to where he wanted to continue his NFL career, he decided to head west to join a Niners team he believes has built a culture on winning which he can capitalize on.
“I feel like there’s a lot of good people here, a lot of winners here,” Jones said, via the team website. “So really just wanted to surround myself with winners.”
Consistent winning has been in short supply for Jones for most of his career. Though he led New England to a 10-7 record and the playoffs in his debut season, things cooled off from there and the Patriots had losing records the next two campaigns. Jones personally went 8-17 in starts between 2022-23 and finished his time as a Patriot on the bench. That led to his trade to Jacksonville, where Jones was called upon to start again due to injuries to Trevor Lawrence, but again struggled, going 2-5.
He sees joining San Francisco, a team that has been to two Super Bowls under head coach Kyle Shanahan and has a budding franchise QB in Brock Purdy, as a place where he can learn and grow in a “proven system”.
“I know Brock personally and he’s done a great job and played really good football in the NFL, so I’ve been really watching him from afar on game film and stuff and really just want to learn from him and be a sponge,” Jones said. “And obviously Kyle and his résumé speaks for itself. He’s done a great job in the NFL and he always produces each year and that’s something that I want to be around.”
With a connection between him and Purdy that goes back to their college recruitment days, Jones is particularly eager to pick the brain of the young QB who has had such a meteoric career trajectory in the NFL. In three years as a pro, Purdy has led his team to two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl berth, and is in line for a new extension that could put him among the highest-paid players in the league. For Jones, it’s the perfect situation and person to be in a quarterback room with.
“He actually trained last offseason in Jacksonville,” Jones added. “We had a lot of good throwing sessions together. He’s done a great job and he works very hard. You can tell he’s very cerebral and I want to learn from him. You can see, just being in the room with him elevates everybody.
“If I can help him, [I’m] happy to help, but at the same time I’m here to learn.”
While Jones sees a winning culture in his new destination, the Niners’ most recent season was a far cry from the success of previous years. Injuries plagued the roster, leading to a 6-11 record the team will be focused on putting in the rearview in favor of a return to the postseason.
Jones will hope a resurgence for his new team and his own career go hand-in-hand.
