Mac Jones’ career has taken enough turns since leaving the New England Patriots that the former first-round quarterback is now being floated as a potential answer for a team in crisis.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay proposed on Oct. 6 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquire Jones from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a conditional 2027 third-round pick, describing the move as one that could help save Tampa Bay’s season.
The idea comes with the Buccaneers sitting at 0-4 and Baker Mayfield sidelined by a dislocated right thumb. Tampa Bay announced Sept. 28 that Mayfield was expected to miss a minimum of three weeks after suffering the injury against the Minnesota Vikings.
That has left undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels in charge of an offense trying to keep its season from slipping away. He completed 19 of 27 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions in a Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Jones’ 49ers Revival Drives Trade Argument
Bleacher Report’s proposal emerges largely due to what Jones did when the 49ers needed him last season.
With Brock Purdy missing time, Jones started eight games and went 5-3. He finished the 2025 season completing 201 of 289 passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while posting a 97.4 passer rating.
Kay argued that Jones “was able to save the Niners’ 2025 season” and could give Tampa Bay a far steadier short-term answer while Mayfield recovers.
His play was certainly different than what appeared in New England following his rookie season.
The Patriots selected Jones No. 15 overall in 2021, and he helped them reach the playoffs while earning a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie.
His trajectory went the other way over the next two years.
Jones threw 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions in 2023, went 2-9 as a starter and slid to the bench.
New England traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars in March 2024 for a sixth-round pick. After one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones signed a two-year contract with San Francisco in March 2025.
The move appears to have renovated his standing around the league.
Former Patriots QB Has Rebuilt His Value
Jones went into the 2026 offseason talking openly about the stability he found in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
“I feel like this is the first year I’ve had with the same offensive playbook being in the NFL,” Jones told the 49ers’ team website in June.
That continuity matters when considering why Tampa Bay would surrender legitimate draft capital for a quarterback who could become a free agent in the offseason.
The Buccaneers are trying to stay afloat rather than find a long-term replacement for Mayfield. Jones has shown he can step into an established system to handle a multi-game stretch and keep a contender functional.
There would still be risk for Tampa Bay. A conditional third-round pick is no small price for a potential rental, especially for an 0-4 club. San Francisco also has reason to value Jones as insurance behind Purdy.
But the mere fact that Jones has come up in that range says a lot about how far his stock has increased since his final Patriots season.
New England once reached the point where moving on from its former first-round quarterback brought back only a sixth-rounder.
Less than three years later, Jones has enough credibility for a proposed third-round return to sound plausible — and for the potential to rescue the season of a winless team.
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