Let's get some housekeeping out of the way real quick - Mac Jones is in the same tier of quarterback as Brock Purdy. While their playstyles are different, their overall impact on the game is roughly the same. We saw the impact Purdy had without all of his stars in 2024 - the 49ers won six games, and then for some reason gave Purdy a $265 million contract extension.
And don't worry, I'm sure there is a certain 49ers fan who views Brock Purdy as their one true God that will slam their laptop into the ground reading this with the same energy that a second grader has when his mom says no more Fortnite and sends them to bed, but that doesn't change the fact that Purdy and Jones have been very comparable in 2025.
Purdy ranks first in the league in success rate, Jones is fourth. Purdy is eighth in adjusted EPA per play, Jones is 11th. Purdy is ninth in EPA+CPOE composite, Jones is 14th. Purdy is eighth in DVOA, Jones is 10th - you get the point. Jones and Purdy run the Shanahan offense to very similar degrees of success.
And while Jones has proven to be one of the better backups in the NFL, and starting-capable in the right offense, he won't be the starter in San Francisco for something we already talked about - money.
Purdy is $257 million more expensive than Jones, which is crazy because in no way, shape, or form is he $257 million better than Mac Jones. On top of that, the 49ers would eat $90 million in dead cap in 2026 should they move on from him next year.
This is why me and several others shook our heads at the 49ers giving Purdy such a massive deal. As long as Kyle Shanahan has a replacement-level quarterback under center, the offense isn't going to skip a beat. It looked great with Jimmy Garoppolo, who didn't last a season as a starter after signing with the Las Vegas Raiders, it looked great with Purdy, and it looks great with Jones. Plus, guys like Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard still have jobs in the league because Shanahan made them look somewhat competent.
So while Purdy and Jones are roughly in the same tier of quarterback play, the 49ers did the football equivalent of paying $7,000 for a bottle of Dasani water and vastly overpaid Purdy, handcuffing themselves to him for the long-term future while Mac Jones almost certainly plays himself into another Week 1 starting job in 2026. Should he find success elsewhere while the 49ers struggle to build a winner around Purdy, a lot of fair questions will eb asked about John Lynch and the 49ers' brass.
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