Why 49ers' Mac Jones joked about getting into 'huge fight' with Kyle Shanahan

Many have believed for years that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wanted to take quarterback Mac Jones over Trey Lance with the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Now with the 49ers, Jones was asked while speaking with reporters on Wednesday if he and Shanahan have "put whatever happened in 2021" behind them. 

"Yeah, we got in a huge fight. I’m just kidding," Jones said while laughing, as shared by the 49ers' website. "We were cool. Kyle and I texted a little bit. ...I always love watching what Kyle did throughout the years, and to finally get in and learn it, it’s been a little bit challenging, but also a great challenge because it’s things, some things I’ve done and some things I haven’t done at all. And that’s interesting, being in my fifth year in the league, learning different footwork and timing and how he sees the game."

While Lance flopped during his 49ers tenure, Jones earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie after the New England Patriots made him the 15th overall pick of the 2021 draft. That proved to be the best season, to date, of Jones' career, and he most recently made seven starts during the 2024 campaign as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Jones likely can't help but wonder what could have been, considering the success that Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 draft, has enjoyed in Shanahan's system. Purdy is a one-time regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist, has a Super Bowl appearance on his career resume and recently signed a five-year, $265M contract extension that included $181M in guaranteed money.

"Obviously, the world works in mysterious ways, so I’m glad to be back here and learning from a great group of guys, and that’s players and coaches," Jones added during his comments. "You go where you go in the draft, right? You don’t get a lot of choice over that, but I’m definitely excited to be here now."

For a piece published on June 3, ESPN's Bill Barnwell mentioned that Jones could follow in Sam Darnold's footsteps as a quarterback who benefited from completing a career reset while serving as Purdy's primary backup for a year. Darnold played well enough with the 2024 Minnesota Vikings to receive a three-year, $100.5M contract from the Seattle Seahawks back in March.