Mac Jones played well enough in the eight games he started for the 49ers last season that he would have had a chance to start for another team if he had been a free agent this year. But Jones is heading into the second year of his two-year contract, which means he remains Brock Purdy‘s backup.

Unless the 49ers trade him, which might still be possible.

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49ers General Manager John Lynch indicated at the start of the offseason that Jones wouldn’t be traded unless the 49ers got a strong offer, and when the draft came and went without a trade, it was widely assumed that Jones wasn’t going anywhere. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports however, that the 49ers likely would trade Jones if they see enough development from 2025 seventh-round draft pick Kurtis Rourke.

Jones’ base salary of $1.4 million this season would make him very attractive to any team that finds itself in need of a quarterback and doesn’t have much salary cap space.

A trade of Jones likely wouldn’t happen until some other team loses its starting quarterback to an injury. But that happens in the NFL every year, and when it happens this year, the 49ers may be ready to answer that team’s call.