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Jun 10, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) participates in a passing drill during an OTA at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Why the National Media is Sleeping on this 49ers Quarterback

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Parker Hurley | Last updated Aug 30, 2025 9:00 AM ET

While nobody wants to resort to their backup quarterback, more teams end up needing a second gun slinger for at least one game per year, so having competency behind the starter is valuable. The San Francisco 49ers tried to address this with Mac Jones this offseason. However, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked the top ten backups; he added three honorable mention names, and Mac Jones was nowhere to be seen.

Mac Jones fails to make top 13 backup quarterbacks list

The list is a bit questionable, though. Kirk Cousins kicks off the list, and it does make sense, although his health is a question. Jimmy Garoppolo is number one and especially tied to Sean McVay; that case can be made.

However, Carson Wentz is number three. Wentz was out of the NFL a few weeks ago and has nine starts in the past three seasons. Over that span, his adjusted net yards per attempt were at 4.7. Mac Jones has not been good, but over that same span, he started 32 games with a 4.98 ANY/A.

So, Jones is more experienced over that span and better. Why is Wentz so much higher? Because he was an MVP candidate in 2017? Mac Jones started in the playoffs in 2021.

The next is Tanner McKee, who is great in theory, but he has one NFL start, and it was a meaningless game. It is hard to compare Jones, who has struggled, but has struggled as a legitimate starter with a long track record of tape on him. The players he is being compared to have good preseason highlights but would likely be exposed over the same lights that Jones has faced.

Malik Willis has five starts, and after three of them with the Titans, he was deemed an unfixable bust. Two starts with the Packers have him ranked fifth on this list. The difference is that he went from a poor offensive scheme to Matt LeFleur. That sounds a bit similar to Jones with Kyle Shanahan, only once again, Jones has the longer track record.

Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Anthony Richardson is sixth, and putting him below Willis seems like small sample size nonsense and having ‘in-theory’ discussions. If Richardson had to make two spots with the Packers, and that is all that we saw of him, his reputation would be a bit higher.

Jarrett Stidham is ahead based on four starts from 2022-2024 compared to 32 for Jones over that time. Stidham was on the 2021 New England Patriots, and the Patriots decided to draft Mac Jones in the first round. The Patriots cut Jones after his rookie season, and he started four somewhat meaningless games, maybe his reputation would be higher.

Jaxon Dart is eight, and he joins Richardson, Cousins, and Garoppolo as the actual backups who you can argue should be ahead of Jones. Trey Lance is nine and again, while he is fun in theory, Mac Jones has quite literally done much more in his career to date.

Tyson Bagent is 10th with four starts, and Jake Browning is 13th with seven starts, it is tough to compare these players to Jones, considering the differences in situation.

The only thing to take away from this article is that the less you play as a backup, the more likely the national media is to overhype what you could be.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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