The 2025-26 NFL season was riddled with injuries that cost a myriad of star players significant amounts of time. but no team was impacted more than the San Francisco 49ers.
In addition to season-ending injuries to Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle, star quarterback Brock Purdy missed eight games with turf toe and torn ligaments, meaning backup Mac Jones had to step in and take the reins. There was a silver lining though: Jones did a pretty good job keeping San Francisco on track to make the playoffs.
Jones went 5-3 in eight starts, racking up 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. If it weren't for how much money the Niners have invested in Purdy (and his clutch factor), he probably could've kept the starter job a little longer.
That kind of performance, however, should've had QB-needy teams paying close attention. The upcoming NFL Draft only offers one true blue-chip prospect in Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, so free agency and the trade market will be primary sources for veteran assistance under center. Jones will have a market, one the Niners can't ignore.
5 teams that should roll the dice on acquiring Mac Jones
Jones still has one more season remaining on his two-year, $8.4 million contract, so interested teams would need to put together a tasty trade package to acquire his services.
"Honestly, it's a business. You know how this goes," Jones told reporters at Super Bowl media day. "I've proven I can be a starter... I can go out there and win games for whoever."
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings decided to move on from 2024 starter Sam Darnold and now he's in Super Bowl LX with the Seattle Seahawks. Head coach Kevin O'Connell turned to 23-year-old J.J. McCarthy, and that decision yielded ... less than fruitful results.
McCarthy started just 10 games, missing a good chunk of the season with injury while throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and a cringe-worthy 12 interceptions. O'Connell will still likely give McCarthy the starting nod in 2026, but with last year's backup Carson Wentz — recovering from his own injury — now a free agent, bringing in some competition for the 23-year-old wouldn't hurt.
Minnesota owns five selections in the first four rounds of the draft this year, so there's ample stock to work with in negotiations. Executive VP of football operations Rob Brzezinski should aim to only give up a third rounder since he's got two of them, but San Francisco could up-charge to a second rounder if demand is high enough.
Las Vegas Raiders
Mendoza will all but certainly be a Raider after being selected No. 1 overall in April. But there's no guarantee he starts Week 1 or will stay healthy all year long. If Las Vegas wants to remain competitive enough to shorten its rebuild, Jones needs to be on their roster.
With Mendoza being the supposed future of the franchise, Las Vegas can afford to mortgage a future second-round pick (2027) with next year's draft predicted to be stacked in the QB department. San Francisco could be enticed into such a deal considering Purdy is their guy, but 2025 reminded them that depth is everything.
New York Jets
The Justin Fields experiment went terribly in 2025. He threw for 1,259 yards, seven touchdowns and a single interception in just nine appearances before succumbing to injury. Sadly, New York didn't have the depth of San Francisco, so things went down hill fast after that.
The good news is that the Jets pick four times in the first two rounds of the upcoming draft. They can more than afford to part with a pick for Jones. If they're going to go cheap, they can offer Dallas' second-round pick (No. 44 overall), and that should be enough for San Francisco.
Pittsburgh Steelers
If new head coach Mike McCarthy cannot convince Aaron Rodgers to come back for one more run, I don't think the Steelers will want to turn to Mason Rudolph as their 2026 starter. Like Jones said, he's proven he can play like a starter and it could prove worth the investment to bring in the 27-year-old as a cheap rental.
Next year's draft will have all the young talent Pittsburgh could want and the top free agent QB this offseason — Malik Willis — will command a steep price. The Steelers own three selections in the third round and should offer up two of them (No. 76 and No. 85) to avoid having to give up their sole second rounder (No. 53).
Miami Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa's days in Miami are numbered. He threw for 2,660 yards, 20 touchdown and 15 interceptions last season in 14 appearances, which is suboptimal at best. Tagovailoa still has two more years on his $212.4 million extension he signed in 2024, but the Dolphins could be desperate enough to try and figure out how to move him or cut him entirely ahead of 2026.
If they don't go that route, bringing in a starting-caliber QB to challenge him could also benefit the team. Miami owns five picks in the first three rounds, including three in the third round alone. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan could also sweeten a deal by throwing in current backup Quinn Ewers to ease San Francisco's worries about having a safety net under Purdy.