The San Francisco 49ers might have the NFL’s best backup quarterback in former 1st-round pick Mac Jones – a player who might very well have value to other teams as their starter moving forward.
Jones might also have value to the 49ers in terms of trade value if another player can step up, because if 2025 7th-round pick Kurtis Rourke shows he’s capable of being a high-level backup like Jones, then it opens San Francisco up to getting a pretty stout return on investment.
In this case, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes the 49ers, were they to put Jones on the market, could get a 2027 2nd-round pick back in return. There might actually be a world where a 2nd-round pick is too much for the 49ers to pass up, no matter what.
“Because of quarterback Brock Purdy’s injury history, the 49ers should keep Jones unless a team offers at least a second-round pick,” Moton wrote on July 14. ” … the team might trade Jones if 2025 seventh-rounder Kurtis Rourke seems capable of serving as the primary backup. Keep in mind that Jones is set to be a free agent next offseason and may chase an opportunity to start elsewhere. Coming off a season in which he threw for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions in 11 games (eight fill-in starts), he won’t be able to increase his stock unless Purdy is on the sidelines.”
Kurtis Rourke Seems Ready for Backup Role
Rourke was a 2-time All-MAC selection and the 2022 MAC Most Valuable Player at Ohio before transferring and leading the Hoosiers to a 10-1 record and the College Football Playoff in his first season as a starter in 2024.
Rourke, 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, will turn 26 in October and started 45 games in college, with 10,144 career passing yards, 71 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He also rushed for 816 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The 49ers drafted Rourke in the 7th round (No. 227 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Ontario, Canada, native was also taken in the CFL Draft, in the 3rd round (No. 25 overall) by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“Rourke earns a draftable grade because of his size, experience and production,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2025. “He’s coming off an ACL tear, but the injury might not have a major impact on his draft slotting since his game isn’t built on mobility. Rourke’s evaluation requires 2023 tape to get a feel for his delivery and velocity when his knee is stable. While he can make pro throws, the accuracy and placement is average. He’s a decent field-reader who throws with adequate touch and anticipation. Rourke played winning football in 2024 and he’s plenty tough, but he needs to take better care of the football if he wants to stick with an NFL team.”
QB-Needy Team Could Come Calling on 49ers
History tells us that the 32 quarterbacks who begin the season as starters won’t be the same 32 quarterbacks who end the season as starters.
In 2026, if 1 of those teams so happens to be a contender and loses a starter due to injury, expect the 49ers to be the 1st call to try and bring Jones in.
“If a starting quarterback goes down, you would have to believe that their 1st call is to the San Francisco 49ers for Mac Jones,” Bleacher Report’s James Palmer said on July 2. “You would have to think that would be the 1st 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. He’s cheap. He signed a roughly 2-year, $8 million deal before last season, so he’s on the books for just about $4.6 million 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.”
Former 7th Round Pick Could Help 49ers Trade QB Mac Jones