"But mostly, the NFL is a league of desperation. And because of that, despite it being mid-December, the speculation has already started about this offseason's impending quarterback carousel. And everyone is looking at the San Francisco 49ers with hungry eyes. They want Mac Jones. The Niners trading Jones to a desperate team has been discussed so early and so frequently that some might presume it's a foregone conclusion: he's gone at the end of the year. I don't see it that way."
"So if the Niners let him play out his contract, shake his hand, and watch him sign a solid $20-to-$30 (maybe $40) million-dollar deal elsewhere in free agency come the end of the 2026 season, the league office will essentially FedEx a third-round pick (fourth at worst) to Santa Clara. That's money in the bank. That's a free lottery ticket. More importantly, it's the best insurance policy in the game, and it costs next to nothing to own, with a nice dividend payout, to boot."
The NFL is driven by team desperation and constant quarterback speculation. The San Francisco 49ers place outsized strategic value on compensatory draft picks and prioritize the comp formula as a resource. Mac Jones has significantly improved his value through strong play, positioning him as a likely third- or fourth-round compensatory asset if allowed to reach free agency after 2026. Allowing Jones to sign elsewhere would almost certainly yield a mid-round comp pick, which the 49ers regard as low-cost insurance against quarterback fragility. Trading Jones now would forfeit that near-certain pick for an uncertain immediate return.
Read at The Mercury News
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