New 49ers QB Mac Jones gets real on finally playing under Kyle Shanahan

The San Francisco 49ers and Mac Jones were destined to cross paths in the NFL. Kyle Shanahan, the Niners’ head coach, wanted the team to draft Jones in 2021. The front office decided to select Trey Lance in what has become one of the worst NFL Draft moves ever.

Now, a few years later and with some scars in the process, Mac Jones is finally in a Kyle Shanahan’s QB room. The former Patriot has seen his stocks decay drastically within the NFL. Even if it’s not when they originally wanted, Jones is happy to be in The Bay.

On Wednesday’s conference, Mac Jones said the following: “I’m glad to be back here and learning from a great group of guys. That’s players and coaches. You go where you go in the draft, right? You don’t get a lot of choice over that, but I’m definitely excited to be here now.”

From a possible franchise QB to Mr. Irrelevant’s backup

Jones said something oddly true in the press conference. He stated “obviously the world works in mysterious ways.” That is incredibly accurate for this story. Originally, Shanahan wanted to draft Jones to give him the reins of San Francisco. He was coming off a brilliant season in Alabama and future seemed bright. He ended in the Patriots and had a promising rookie year. Then, his career fell off and is now a backup.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sideline during the first half of a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On the other hand, the 49ers ended up finding a top quarterback in Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in the 2022 NFL Draft. Purdy, by the way, was signed to an extension of five years and $265 million.

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Jones played for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. He started seven games and had a 2-5 record. He threw for 167.2 yards per game and had 8 TDs to 8 INTs. Safe to say he didn’t dazzle anyone. However, when needing a backup, Shanahan reminisced on his desire to coach Jones and grabbed him as a free agent.

A Full-circle moment for Mac Jones and Kyle Shanahan

There’s a saying that goes “if it’s meant to be, it’ll be.” The former Alabama QB said he didn’t hesitate as he saw San Francisco as an option. “When you look at stats around the league, they’re always in the top five, you see the little San Francisco logo,” Jones added. “I always love watching what Kyle did” is one of the quotes that imply the admiration Jones has for his new head coach.

Jones’ career has been a downward spiral since his second season. Not to play devil’s advocate here, but he has been with a different play-caller every single year. It’s hard to succeed with that scenario. According to 49ers’ QB coach, Mick Lombardi, this is not that bad, though. Lombardi thinks this has helped the young quarterback to adjust to new terminologies and not get stuck in his own ways.

Whether Jones revives his career under Shanahan or not remains to be seen. However, both parties seem to be thrilled with the opportunity of working together.