QB Brock Purdy is dealing with a toe injury. So the San Francisco 49ers will turn to backup QB Mac Jones to lead the offense on Sunday when the 49ers face the New Orleans Saints. Jones is in his first season with the 49ers, hoping to revive his career, much like Sam Darnold, who spent the 2023 season as Purdy's backup.
Jones was named a Pro Bowler as a rookie with New England after being selected number 15 overall in the 2021 draft. But he struggled in his next two seasons with the Patriots and spent last season in Jacksonville. For most of his short career, he has had little talent around him. And now he takes over for an offense with plenty of weapons, even though some of them are currently injured.
Despite all of this, Jones' new head coach has all the confidence that he can handle the offense.
Matt Maiocco, of NBC Sports Bay Area, spoke with Head Coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday, ahead of Sunday's game in New Orleans. Among the topics was how Shanahan views this week's starting QB.
"Not having Brock, obviously, Brock's been a hell of a player and had a hell of a game last week at Seattle," Shanahan said. "But we do have a lot of confidence in Mac. He's had a great training camp, he's had a great week of practice. He might not have the same mobility as Brock. Brock makes a number of plays with his legs, which Mac is capable of, but he's not going to do that quite as much.
"But after that, they are very similar. Mac can execute the offense at a high level. He's had a hell of a week. I'm not too concerned with Mac. As long as we play good around him, Mac will have a hell of a game."
The 49ers were rumored to have been considering drafting Jones number three overall when they traded up to that spot in the 2021 NFL draft. Many believe that Shanahan wanted to draft Jones, but that GM John Lynch wanted to draft Trey Lance, who they ultimately selected. Regardless, Lance didn't work out (partly due to Purdy's success), and now Jones is in San Francisco. And Shanahan is learning that the player he almost drafted is the QB he believed he was.
"I think it kind of validates what our gut feeling was with him watching him in college," Shanahan added. "He played at a very high level in college. It didn't surprise me at all that he was going to be a top 15 pick. And he was a guy that we could have easily taken. I thought he played very well his rookie year.
"He had gone downhill, you know, statistic-wise and everything like that. I think other circumstances played into that a lot, though, and (he) didn't get a ton of opportunities at Jacksonville. But that's a different story. Once he's been here, he's kind of looked how we've anticipated. We love talking to him as a guy, getting to know the person, and I think our team will rally around him because they love the guy."
Jones won't be sneaking by the Saints' defense, though. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that one New Orleans defender told her, "Now, with the 49ers, he's in a way better situation. Just look at the offense — more weapons, better scheme, more support. It's night and day from Foxboro.
"Our game plan's pretty simple: Collapse the pocket, get pressure up the middle. Interior D-line getting their hands up is key. ... Force him off his spot, make him uncomfortable, and you'll see the cracks."
It remains to be seen which version of Jones the 49ers will see, but his coach and his team believe in him. Now, he needs to go out and prove it to everyone else.
Watch the entire interview below: