The San Francisco 49ers have certainly had some good quarterback luck over the years. While a lot of their success can be attributed to head coach Kyle Shanahan and a solid set of offensive weapons surrounding them, John Lynch also deserves credit for scouting out these unheralded players.
When Colin Kaepernick’s stardom began to dwindle, the team struck a mid-season trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. Then, when Garoppolo started to lose his fastball, the team’s whiff on Trey Lance was almost instantly overcome by the emergence of Brock Purdy.
The 49ers did not hesitate to pay Purdy to the tune of a five-year, $265 million deal this offseason, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is the franchise quarterback. But in just his third full year under center, however, Purdy is already showing signs of being an injury-prone quarterback.
49ers reporter makes wild Brock Purdy-Mac Jones comparison
This has thrust Mac Jones into action for his third game already this season. Jones is 2-0 as the starter and carried a 17-7 lead into the half during Week 5’s game against the LA Rams. This prompted Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn to make a crazy comparison that no fan will agree with.
“This is like when the Eagles paid Carson Wentz and Nick Foles immediately took his job,” Cohn wrote.
This is like when the Eagles paid Carson Wentz and Nick Foles immediately took his job.
— Grant Cohn (@grantcohn) October 3, 2025
Obviously, Cohn is known to be a bit of an agitator, and there are certainly parallels between the two situations. But Jones filling in for a few regular season games is a far cry from Jones doing what Foles did, which is leading the team to a Super Bowl as a backup quarterback.
While 49ers fans certainly wouldn’t mind Jones, or any quarterback for that matter, taking them to the promised land, it would be a bit disappointing for Purdy to fizzle out and become a career backup, especially considering the massive payday he just got.
Also, while the Philadelphia Eagles won that Super Bowl, it’s not like Foles turned into a perennial star. He, too, quickly fell from grace, and the Eagles had to start all over again. Purdy is the franchise quarterback, and 49ers fans know this, even if this short run with Jones has been fun and surprising.
Of course, if Purdy’s injury worsens, or he starts to show signs of slowing down like past quarterbacks have in San Francisco, then fans won’t mind a full-on Mac Jones emergence. But Purdy is Shanahan’s guy, and it would be disastrous if he gets overtaken as the starter.
