As long as it’s still a topic of discussion, we’ll talk about the potential outcome of the San Francisco 49ers trading for Mac Jones.
The more you think it through and look at the NFL landscape, the less likely it feels that a trade will happen. But the NFL is a fickle beast, and if any team knows how injuries can arise out of nowhere, it’s the Niners.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano had a true-or-false section where they went back and forth debating whether J.J. McCarthy would be the only quarterback
traded ahead of the deadline.
Here’s what was said when the discussion turned to Jones:
And the big one is probably Mac Jones. The 49ers have said they aren’t interested in dealing him, and I believe it would take a lot to change their minds. But if someone gets desperate enough, who knows?
Fowler: It would take real draft capital — perhaps a Day 2 pick — to get in the door on Jones. Brock Purdy is playing at an MVP level, but he also sat out seven games last season, with Jones filling in admirably. San Francisco could be there at the end if its aging roster holds up, so it makes little sense to deal Jones right now.
For a team to part ways with a second- or third-round pick in this draft would mean they think they have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs this year.
Brushing aside the 49ers’ injuries
When asked which team’s injury issues were most concerning, the answer was the 49ers, but with an asterisk: “The easy answer is the 49ers, but they’re 3-0 and deal with this every year, so I don’t think it’s them.”
Fowler added, “If San Francisco can survive the season with its core players remotely healthy, there’s no reason why it can’t be in the thick of the playoff race in January.”
Let’s establish the core players: Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Trent Williams, Mike Evans, Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner.
Williams, Evans, and Bosa are hurt. Williams is unlikely to miss a game, but he didn’t finish Week 3. I think it’s safe to say that the core players are already banged up and impacting how the 49ers can field a team. It hasn’t reflected on the scoreboard, but that doesn’t mean it’s taking its toll.
The Nick Bosa effect was on full display in Week 3. The Rams ran 57 plays. The Dolphins ran 56. The Cardinals ran 81. Of course, Romello Height, James Thompson Jr., and CJ West weren’t playing, but Bosa, in the most literal sense, has single-handedly ended drives and gotten the defense off the field.
The loss of Evans will be felt against the upper-echelon defenses, like Denver and Seattle. Purdy threw the ball to Evans on half his routes against the Cardinals. That’s Brock’s go-to target this season, and the results speak for themselves.
Kyle Shanahan is a mastermind and will scheme players open, but at some point, your dudes have to be better than theirs. That’s who Evans is and why you sign him. To win on third down and in key situations against the Seahawks and Broncos of the world.
We’ll see how the offense handles the loss of Evans, even if it’s for a game or two, but it shouldn’t be minimized because “they deal with this every year.”
