There were those who thought Mac Jones was going to be the player the San Francisco 49ers decided to make their quarterback of the future when they held the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
That didn't turn out to be the case, but the 49ers are undoubtedly happy to have Jones on their roster four years later after what he did in his first start with the team on Sunday.
Jones shined for the 49ers on Sunday, throwing for 279 yards and three touchdowns in a 26-21 Week 2 road win over the New Orleans Saints. It's uncertain whether or not his first start with the 49ers will be his last, but at the very least, his performance made fans happy that he eventually found his way into a 49ers uniform.
Long road to the 49ers
Jones was thought by many to be a possibility for the 49ers when they traded up to acquire the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but they selected Trey Lance instead while Jones fell to the New England Patriots at pick 15. Jones made an early splash with the Patriots, finishing as the runner-up to the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year award while Lance spent most of his rookie season developing behind Jimmy Garoppolo. After that, neither Lance nor Jones saw their careers go as expected, as Lance was eventually shipped out of San Francisco to Dallas in favor of Brock Purdy, while Jones was benched in 2023 and later traded from the Patriots to the Jacksonville Jaguars before the 2024 season. Both Lance and Jones then landed as back-up quarterbacks with new teams in 2025 -- Lance with the Los Angeles Chargers and Jones with the 49ers.
While Lance hasn't been called upon to play as of yet, Jones found himself in the 49ers' starting lineup after one week due to a toe injury to Purdy. And one week was all it took for Jones to get his first 49ers' win.
Jones, who now has half as many wins as Lance had as a 49er, proved against the Saints that he still certainly has what it takes to start in the NFL and give the 49ers a chance to win as long as he's in the lineup. He got off to a bit of a slow start against the Saints, missing on his first four passes while looking a little erratic in the process. But once he got into a rhythm, Jones and the 49ers offense began to take off.
"I've worked a lot on my mindset this offseason," Jones said after the win over the Saints on Sunday. "Obviously when you're having your first start, you're going to have a couple of nerves, but just working through those, and once I finally got into a rhythm and I felt like the line did a great job blocking for me, I know I can sit in there and let it fly."
A boost of confidence from Big Trent
Things weren't perfect for Jones on Sunday, as aside from the slow start he lost a fumble on a strip sack. And in addition to his slow start, Jones was unable to lead the 49ers to a game-sealing drive when given the chance late in the fourth quarter. But he never looked rattled and made the plays the 49ers needed him to make throughout much of the game.
"I just felt like I could have done a better job starting and finishing, to be honest," Jones said. "Then everything in between, I felt like pretty rhythmic and stuff, but I know there's going to be things I miss on tape. Like I already know. And (quarterbacks coach) Mick Lombardi did a good job on the sideline; he's like, "Just stay in it, you're good. Like we're gonna win this." And, he knows me really well. So he knows I need to be like 'tunnel vision' and just focus on my job and let everything else take care of itself."
Despite having 50 career starts under his belt before Sunday, Jones admitted that his first 49ers start came with a touch of nervousness. But he was able to overcome that with the help of 49ers veteran left tackle Trent Williams.
"Trent just came up to me, and he was like, 'You're good, you're good,'" Jones said. "Trent just came up to me, he's like, 'Just go hoop, dude. Like go make plays.' And I was like, 'All right, if Trent Williams can say that, then I can do it.' So that kind of just got me calmed down a little bit."
Even if Jones needed a bit of a spark, the rest of the team seemed to have faith he'd give them what they needed.
"Mac's played a lot of football games," running back Christian McCaffrey said Sunday. "He's won a lot of games. He's been in that position before and we all had full confidence in him. He had confidence in us and I love the way he plays. He plays with so much swagger. He gives it his all. He's so loose on the sideline and a great leader."
Jones' time as starter may be short-lived, but the 49ers now know he can deliver if needed
The 49ers don't know if they'll need Jones to start again next week at home against the Arizona Cardinals, as Purdy may be back as soon as this week. But fumble aside, Jones got passing grades from head coach Kyle Shanahan, who now undoubtedly has more faith in his backup situation after the win in New Orleans.
"I thought Mac played real well," Shanahan said. "...I thought he handled the situation well. I thought he delivered the ball real well. Obviously would like to have that fumble back. Hopefully we can get rid of it a little earlier. It didn't look like anyone was really open, though. But I thought he did a hell of a job."
Jones also got a vote of confidence from Purdy, who was in Jones' ear with encouragement during the game.
"Brock was awesome," Jones said. "He's helped me all week and he's doing a good job rehabbing and he knows how it is out there. He's like, 'You're doing great. Just keep keep ripping it.' And that's what it's all about."
So whether Sunday turned out to be Jones's only start with the 49ers or if there's more from here, he's now trending upward either way. At the very least, he's well on track for his time with the 49ers to potentially be the boost he needs to once again becoming a full-time NFL starter.
"I know I can play really well, and I know this organization and team is really doing a good job just trying to get me on track," Jones said. "I got a long way to go. It's just one game, right? And it's good to just kind of feel a little bit of confidence again and just got to carry that to the next week. And I mean, like I said, it's one game. If you lose it or win it, it shouldn't matter. Your process should stay the same and that's what I'm going to do."