By Matt Geagan
Updated on: March 13, 2025 / 8:13 AM EDT / CBS Boston
Former New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has found a new home. Jones reportedly signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, after the 2025 NFL league year officially kicked off.
The 49ers considered drafting Jones with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft four years ago, but went with quarterback Trey Lance instead. Jones went to the Patriots, who took him with the 15th overall pick.
Jones will now back up Brock Purdy in San Francisco. His contract is reportedly worth $7 million with $5 million guaranteed, and the quarterback can earn up to $11.5 million in the deal.
Mac Jones’ NFL career
Jones was drafted by the Patriots in 2021 after he helped lead Alabama to a National Championship in 2020. He beat out Cam Newton in training camp to claim New England’s starting quarterback job as a rookie, and helped guide the team to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth. Jones completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in his rookie campaign, and made the Pro Bowl as a replacement.
But things went off the rails in his second season with the Patriots after Josh McDaniels left as his offensive coordinator. Bill Belichick fumbled when he decided to put Matt Patricia and Joe Judge in charge of the New England offense in 2022, and Jones regressed on the field and butted heads with his coaches on the sideline. He also missed three games with an ankle injury, which opened the door for backup Bailey Zappe to win over Patriots fans.
Jones was just 6-8 as New England’s starter in 2022, when he threw for just 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He then he lost the job for good in 2023 after a 2-9 start that saw him get benched for Zappe on four different occasions. Jones’ last start for the Patriots came in a Week 12 loss to the New York Giants when he threw for just 89 yards and a pair of interceptions, and was replaced by Zappe at halftime. He wasn’t even active for the team’s regular-season finale.
Jones was traded to Jacksonville in 2024 for a sixth-round pick, and ended up starting seven games for the injured Trevor Lawrence. He went 2-5 as Jacksonville’s starter, throwing eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Matt GeaganMatthew Geagan is a sports producer for CBS Boston. He has been part of the WBZ sports team for nearly 20 years. He moved over to the web in 2012 and has covered all the highs (and a few lows) in Boston sports.
© 2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
