The Jacksonville Jaguars tried an unconventional route to find a long-term backup for Trevor Lawrence by trading for former New England Patriots first-round pick Mac Jones, but the unsatisfactory results Jones put on display in his brief starting stint led to both parties breaking off their partnership.
Jones, a Jacksonville native, signed a two-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers. The expectation is that Jones will back up Brock Purdy and do everything he can to soak up information from quarterback guru Kyle Shanahan.
In Jones' first interview with the 49ers, he talked at length about how impressed he was by the culture and organization that has helped San Francisco makes two Super Bowls under Shanahan. When compared to the laughable Jacksonville culture he just came from, Jones had some very choice words for his old workplace.
"I feel like there's a lot of good people here, a lot of winners here," Jones said, via the 49ers' official website. "So really just wanted to surround myself with winners." Is Jones taking a shot at his old hometown running mates with this pointed commentary?
Mac Jones takes veiled shot at Jaguars after leaving for 49ers
The Jaguars went 2-5 in games Jones started, and both of those wins were low-scoring affairs near the end of the season that did nothing but hurt their draft position. In that time, Jones threw just eight touchdown passes against just eight interceptions. The former top pick's rebirth hasn't gone according to plan.
Jones hinting at the Jaguars being a losing organization may not be false, but the fact that Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke are both gone shows that Shad Khan realized that both of these two have reached their expiration dates in Duval County. However, is it really Pederson's fault he couldn't win with a subpar quarterback like Jones?
Jones did land in the best possible spot for a quarterback in his position, however. Sam Darnold took a one-year deal as a backup in San Francisco, and he seems to have improved himself enough to the point where he threw 35 touchdowns with the Vikings and earned a huge contract with the Seahawks.
Jones, however, may have a bigger hill to climb. With Jones clearly not fond of the culture in Jacksonville and the Jaguars acting quickly to find a better backup quarterback behind Lawrence, it seems like neither party was clamoring to run it back.