That’s not to say his 2024 gap year with the Jacksonville Jaguars was impressive. Far from it, actually. However, the former Patriots first-round draft pick has fallen upward, at least as backup quarterbacks are concerned, and his new home could pay dividends as he looks to turn around his career.
The San Francisco 49ers signed Jones to a two-year contract earlier this spring. Not long after that, they gave incumbent starter Brock Purdy $265 million, so Jones probably isn’t going to be under center anytime soon at Levis Stadium. But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out Tuesday, Jones’ new environment might set him up well for his own next step.
“If there’s one player attempting to explicitly go the (Sam) Darnold rejuvenation path, it’s Jones,” Barnwell wrote about how Darnold revitalized his lost career with a stop in San Francisco. ” … Working with coach Kyle Shanahan apparently did enough to rebuild Darnold’s confidence before he left for a one-year deal with Minnesota, though. You know what happened next.”
Barnwell, after laying out how the disastrous Matt Patricia and Joe Judge project with the Patriots doomed Jones, as well as a lack of supporting cast at the end, claimed Jones has never been in a better situation than he’ll find with the Niners.
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“This will be the best offensive infrastructure Jones has played in since his time at Alabama,” Barnwell argued. “The question is whether he ever sees the field. There has been a need for a reliable backup in San Francisco, even after Purdy’s ascension. … Jones probably isn’t going to win the job away in those moments from the now-$265 million QB, but don’t be surprised if he plays well enough to get a more significant opportunity elsewhere on his next deal in 2026.”
He’ll need to be better than he was a season ago in Jacksonville. An injury to Trevor Lawrence paved the way for the former Patriots QB to make seven starts for the Jags in 2024. He had some ugly, ugly moments that ultimately might have overshadowed the good. On the whole, Jones threw eight touchdowns and eight interceptions, but he took Houston to the brink in Week 13, completing 20-of-32 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns without a pick in a three-point loss.
He also finished the season strong, completing 65% of his passes over the final two weeks of the season with three touchdowns and a pick for a 97.7 passer rating.
