Mac Jones to the 49ers.
Just as most everyone predicted.
Four years ago.
Jones agreed to a two-year contract on Wednesday to come to the 49ers as a free-agent pickup and serve as Brock Purdy’s backup, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday.
The deal is set to pay Jones $7 million with $5 million guaranteed and could be worth up to $11.5 million through incentives, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported.
This is in stark contrast to how Jones was connected to the 49ers in the lead-up to the 2021 NFL Draft.
The 49ers traded up to No. 3 overall with the stated plan of selecting their quarterback of the future.
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Jones was the person a lot of people in NFL circles, including one of coach Kyle Shanahan’s closest friends, believed would land with the 49ers.
Chris Simms, the NBC Sports NFL analyst and one of Shanahan’s closest friends, was publicly confident in his belief that Jones was going to be the 49ers’ selection.
Then, the 49ers surprised a good share of the public with the selection of Trey Lance after Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were chosen in the first two spots.
Shanahan later confirmed that he had an affinity for Jones as he evaluated the top quarterbacks in that year’s draft.
“There were two that I really wanted: Mac Jones and Trey,” Shanahan later said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. “Those were the two guys that we were locked in on from the beginning.”
Instead, the 49ers went with Lance — in large part due to his threat as a runner. Jones was seen as the quarterback with the higher floor; Lance with the higher ceiling.
That draft pick did not work out. Jimmy Garoppolo retained his starting job for the 2021 NFL season.
Then, Lance’s status as the 49ers’ starter lasted for just two games to open the 2022 season. He sustained a season-ending lower leg injury in Week 2.
Purdy entered the lineup during the 2022 season after injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. And Purdy has not since been challenged for the 49ers’ starting role.
Entering his third season, Lance dropped down the 49ers’ depth chart during training camp. Purdy was locked in as the starter, and Sam Darnold beat out Lance for the backup job.
Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys during the 2023 preseason for a fourth-round draft pick.
Now, at a time when Purdy is eligible for a lucrative contract extension, Shanahan targeted Jones — not to be the team’s franchise quarterback, but to be the backup to the final overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Jones ended up as the fifth quarterback selected in the 2021 draft. He lasted until the No. 15 overall selection. The New England Patriots selected him, and Jones became a Pro Bowl performer as a rookie.
Jones completed 67.6 percent of his pass attempts, threw for 3,801 yards with 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and a passer rating of 92.5 during his rookie season.
Then, Jones’ career hit the skids with the Patriots.
He went to the Jacksonville Jaguars last season as Lawrence’s backup and ended up starting seven games.
This is a significant development, of course. Shanahan and Jones are finally together.
We all know Bay Area traffic is bad, but this is ridiculous: It took Jones four years longer than expected to arrive in Santa Clara.
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