SANTA CLARA — Mac Jones has been with the 49ers for less than three months, but he first was connected to the organization more than four years ago
“You go where you go in the draft, right?” Jones said on Wednesday in his first public comments since signing a two-year, $9 million contract with the 49ers in the offseason. “You don’t have a lot of choices. But I’m excited to be here now.”
Jones was the player most associated with the 49ers leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.
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SIGN UP HERE The 49ers made the trade up to No. 3 a month before the draft. For most of that time, the widely held belief is that the 49ers would select Jones after the expected choices of Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the New York Jets.
And while Jones might have been the player 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was leaning toward during most of the process, when it was time to make a selection, the 49ers went with Trey Lance.
Jones joked that he and Shanahan later got into a “huge fight.” While that draft-night surprise with the 49ers might have been a disappointment for Jones, he and Shanahan later connected and put the situation behind them.
“We’re cool,” Jones said. “Kyle and I texted a little bit.”
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Shanahan said he and Jones put that situation behind them years ago.
“I think he knows what happened,” Shanahan said of Jones in March. “I talked to him a little bit after the draft four years ago. I’ve had a small relationship with him since then.”
Jones ended up being forced to wait another dozen draft positions before the New England Patriots picked him. He started all 17 games as a rookie and was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team.
Jones is just 26 years old, but he’s already on his third professional team.
“It’s honestly crazy to think that I’m going into my fifth year and time flies,” Jones said. “Going into the draft seems like a long time ago, and I got a chance to meet with a lot of the great coaches during that process. This place being one of them.
“The world works in mysterious ways. I’m glad to be back here. And learn from a great group of guys, that’s players and coaches.”
After initial success with the Patriots, things fell apart. The New England organization underwent upheaval, and Jones played in three different systems in three seasons.
He was traded to the Jaguars last year and appeared in 10 games with seven starts as Lawrence’s backup.
“He’s not new to this,” said 49ers quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi, who was Patriots wide receivers coach during Jones’ rookie season. “He’s not new to [learning] new terminology, new footwork and how to be coached differently. The one thing I love about Mac is he’s always here, he’s always wanting to try new things, he’s not stuck in his ways. He really wants to try to do it our way.”
Lombardi stressed that Jones is a good addition in a supporting role for Purdy, whom the 49ers cemented as the organization’s long-term quarterback with a recent five-year, $265 million contract extension.
“He just wants to be a student of the game and focus on what he can do,” Lombardi said of Jones. “He’s shown that out there in a couple days of practice, really just getting the ball out of his hand and playing on time. He’s showing a skillset that made him such a high draft pick in 2021.”
Jones has known Purdy since he hosted Purdy, then a high-school senior, on a visit to Alabama. He has also long admired the 49ers’ offensive prowess.
“I always love watching their tape,” Jones said. “When you look at stats around the league, they’re always in the top five. You see that little San Francisco logo. Always loved watching what Kyle did throughout the years. To finally get in and learn it, it’s been a little bit challenging but also a great challenge. Because there are some things I’ve done and some things I haven’t done at all.”