Will the 49ers Trade Mac Jones to the New Orleans Saints?

Just last week, offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said the 49ers still see Mac Jones as a starting NFL quarterback.

Well, the 49ers don't currently need a starting quarterback -- they still have Brock Purdy -- but the Saints certainly need one. Their starter, Derek Carr, just retired out of the blue. Which means the top quarterback on their depth chart is rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough. So it stands to reason that the Saints might want a veteran just in case.

The Saints also have Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, but neither one is an experienced veteran quarterback. They're young as well.

The Saints could decide to roll with their young quarterbacks and tank. Next year's draft is supposed to be loaded with quarterbacks. Maybe the Saints will take one of them.

But maybe the Saints want to actually compete this year. Maybe they don't want to waste every veteran's time. Maybe they'd be interested in Mac Jones.

The 49ers signed Jones this offseason to a two-year deal. Clearly, they want a quality backup behind Brock Purdy if he were to get injured again. Last season, he got injured twice and missed two games.

But if the 49ers could trade Jones for a mid-round, that would be found money. Then, they could make Tanner Mordecai or Kurtis Rourke the backup quarterback. The 49ers just drafted Rourke a couple weeks ago. He's currently recovering from a torn ACL, but he should be ready at some point next season.

I don't anticipate the 49ers trading Jones, but I wouldn't rule it out, either.