Fresh update on trade rumors involving 49ers QB Mac Jones emerges

Whether or not backup quarterback Mac Jones will remain with the San Francisco 49ers from the end of the NFL's ongoing summer break through the in-season trade deadline this coming November is a storyline that seemingly will hover over the 49ers until such questions get a final answer. 

According to Tony Adame of Heavy, NFL insider James Palmer shared an update on Jones' future during a Bleacher Report live stream on Thursday. 

Why teams may have Mac Jones on their radar

"If a starting quarterback goes down," Palmer said, "you would have to believe that their first call is to the San Francisco 49ers for Mac Jones. You would have to think that would be the first call that they make. This is a guy who played very well in the most popular (offensive system) used around the NFL, which is the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan system. And he operated very well when Brock Purdy was out." 

Palmer was referencing how Jones went 5-3 while running Shanahan's offense last season when Purdy missed games because of a toe injury. That said, it was thought this past winter that some team would make a trade offer for Jones that the 49ers couldn't refuse. However, a June report revealed that clubs were "reluctant to trade away valuable draft capital" for Jones or wanted "cheaper" options this offseason before he received a small pay bump from the Niners. 

Why the 49ers could make a team "overpay" for Mac Jones

It's now unclear what the 49ers would want in return for Jones' services in the event that a different team loses a starting signal-caller to an injury. Considering San Francisco has Jones under contract, the club could place quite a high price tag on him through the fall. 

"He’s cheap," Palmer added about Jones. "He signed a roughly two-year, $8M deal before last season, so he’s on the books for just about $4.6M this year. Now the 49ers won’t give him away, but if a team is forced to make that trade, they might even overpay for Mac Jones."

Jones has given no indication that he will publicly request a trade anytime soon. Thus, any team that wants him this fall may have to pay more to get him than what he would have cost this past March.