Why Shanahan ‘excited’ to work with new 49ers backup QB Jones

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Four years ago, the 49ers made the bold move to trade up nine spots to No. 3 overall with the intention of selecting a quarterback.The player the 49ers initially had in mind was Mac Jones, who threw 41 touchdown passes with four interceptions in his only full season as Alabama's starter.However, in the weeks before the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers settled on North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance instead of Jones."I think he knows what happened," 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said of Jones at the NFL Annual Meeting."I talked to him a little bit after the draft four years ago. I've had a small relationship with him since then."Jones ended up lasting until the 15th pick, when the New England Patriots selected him. He started all 17 games as a rookie and was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team.But things soured with the Patriots, and he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. He appeared in 10 games with seven starts as Trevor Lawrence's backup.And, now, he comes to the 49ers on a two-year, $9 million contract to serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind Brock Purdy."It's kind of funny to put in all that time before the draft and four years later having him on...