Mac Jones Set to Start for 49ers Against Saints After Brock Purdy Injuries Mark Full-Circle NFL Journey

The New England Patriots selected Mac Jones as the 15th overall pick after the San Francisco 49ers and a few others skipped on him.

Mac Jones Set to Start for 49ers Against Saints After Brock Purdy Injuries Mark Full-Circle NFL Journey

Mac Jones and Brock Purdy (Images via ESPN/CBS News)

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If last season was bad for the San Francisco 49ers, the new season is bubbling to be equally bad. The 49ers quarterback, Brock Purdy, sustained an injury to his toe and is set to miss at least two to five weeks. In the absence of their starter, the 49ers have given the helm to former New England Patriots QB Mac Jones.

The Niners signed Mac Jones in the offseason as a backup for Purdy in case of such scenarios. He will debut for the team against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. He will look to continue the momentum from the first week when they won their first divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. It is also a full-circle moment for the quarterback.

Back in the 2021 NFL Draft, rumors swirled that the 49ers traded up to the No. 3 pick with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in mind. Speculation held that head coach Kyle Shanahan favored Jones, while general manager John Lynch leaned toward Trey Lance, who ultimately became the selection.

Lance never found his footing in San Francisco, and now Jones has finally landed with the 49ers. Shanahan and Mac Jones are reuniting after everything. Shanahan told Matt Maiocco that while Brock Purdy’s absence would affect the team, he had full confidence in Jones.

We do have a lot of confidence in Mac. He’s had a great training camp, he’s had a great week of practice…. Mac can execute the offense at a high level. He’s had a hell of a week. I’m not too concerned with Mac. As long as we play good around him, Mac will have a hell of a game.

Shanahan also admitted a few flaws of Mac Jones, probably as an anticipatory warning to slow down comparisons between the two. He admitted that Jones won’t be making many plays with his legs compared to Purdy, mainly due to the latter’s better mobility. However, as per the head coach, they have a similar wavelength apart from that.

Mac Jones also brings swag to the locker room

In his sitdown, Shanahan also touched upon the iconic red suit Mac Jones spotted in Week One. Shanahan claimed that the fire engine red suit did win some praise from his wife, Mandy.

Mac Jones
Mac Jones (Image via X)

He added that the quarterback wasn’t trying to be funny with it but was expressing his style, which Shanahan called swag. Shanahan is not the only one who finds Mac Jones fun and a delight to be around.

Jones was loved at Alabama during his time there, when he led them to a national championship with a completion rate of 77.4%. He was a person who was described by his teammates as goofy and a clown.

He has not let go of his buzzing energy in the Bay Area either. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk noted that Mac Jones seemed to be in constant motion during spring workouts, dancing almost nonstop after signing his two-year deal in March. When asked what he listens to, Juszczyk said Jones doesn’t need a soundtrack; he simply moves to a rhythm of his own.

The dance moves got the approval from Colton McKivitz as well as Jake Brendel, who praised Jones’ way of destressing and getting into game mode. He noted that Jones strikes a good balance between seriousness and a playful side, even knowing every lyric to a rap song, which he felt added to his cool demeanor.

The same demeanor is quite the contrast from the structured and perfect image of a quarterback. This playfulness is also not Bill Belichick’s style, who is old school about such things, and might have led to his eventual decline in performance.

Also Read: Jerry Jones Reiterates He Has No Regrets as the ‘Riverboat Gambler’ After Micah Parsons Trade