San Francisco could be his first destination, but on the contrary, he had to live an odyssey to get to the bay
Santa Clara, California – After an activity organized by the team in early June, the new Marshal of Campo de los San Francisco 49ers, Mac Jones, rose to a podium in the bowels of the Levi’s Stadium and answered questions for about 11 minutes.
While Mac Jones He responded patiently to questions about all kinds of topics, from how he was almost selected by niners in the draft of the NFL From 2021 even why he believes that coach Kyle Shanahan can boost his career, something clearly worried him.
Moments before, in the field of practices, Jones had difficulties, launching an interception directly to the corner Derrick Canteen and failing several unmarked receptors, including a long pass to the rookie receptor Jordan Watkins.
During his session with the media, Jones alluded to his failures on multiple occasions, which opened a window to the first as he and the 49ers They must correct when assuming the role of Mariscal de Campo number 2, behind Brock Purdy: rebuild your ability to trust what you see and let go.
“My goal is to simply make great attempts, as, do you know? Should the ball go there? And if so, then let it fly and commit to him,” Jones reflected. “Sometimes, when I see my videos, I do not see a launch with total commitment and I want to improve in that … that is the objective of American football: try those releases, learn from them, and then, when the game arrives, say: ‘Hey, I can with this’ or ‘I will control this, you know, I am trying to protect the ball.’ So, in a way, I have learned to the bad ones.”
In fact, Mac Jones has taken a much more tortuous path towards the red and gold of the 49ers of what many observers would have expected when he reached the NFL from Alabama in 2021. At that time, the niners sent three first round selections and more to the Miami Dolphins to move from the 12th position to number 3 and select your franchise field marshal.
Although Jones was widely considered the most probable option for most of the period prior to the draft, the niners finally selected Trey Lanceby North Dakota State. Jones ended up in the hands of the New England Patriots with the 15th selection.
It turned out that neither Lance nor Jones would be the long -term solution for nicers or Patriotsrespectively, and both teams quickly searched for other options. Jones was transferred to Jacksonville after a promising rookie season (56.9 QBR) that gave way to a couple of disappointing years in which QBR recorded from 38.4 in 2022 and 37.5 in 2023.
That season without playing with Jaguars He offered Jones seven opportunities as a starter, with Trevor Lawrence Injured, but did not show many improvement signs, registering a QBR of 39.8.
Mac Jones He joined the free agency for the first time in March and looked for the opportunity to play for a coach with a history of squeezing his field marshal. Shanahan was the obvious option in what both parties felt like a pair that was always going to happen. At the beginning of the free agency, Jones and Shanahan sent text messages, and Jones even joked saying that both “had a great fight” for the original decision of the Nine Draft.
“The world works in mysterious ways,” Jones said laughing. “I’m glad to be back here and learn from a large group of boys, both players and coaches. So, one goes in the draft, right? There are not many options about it, but I am definitely excited to be here now.”
Upon arrival at San FranciscoJones carried out an intensive course focused on perfecting its foundations. For three weeks, Shanahan, the offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak and the field marshal coach Mick Lombardi reviewed fragments of previous videos of Jones, as well as recordings of other field marshal that showed aspects such as the feet game necessary to succeed in the offensive.
“I hope to see it spend those three weeks working in technical aspects and in our American football perspective helps and enjoy it,” he said Kyle Shanahan.
Leaving aside the hard days of training, enjoying your new position has not been a problem for Jones so far. He has made it clear that he likes to direct him with intensity and that he yearns for the challenge that Shanahan and his coaching staff have proposed.
Jones’ opportunity to learn the foundations of Shanahan’s attack goes beyond the coaching staff.
In another decisive turn, when he was a young player in AlabamaJones received a recruitment visit from a young field marshal named Purdy. Both spent that night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, hanging out and playing video games, and although Purdy finally opted for Iowa State, Jones has enjoyed watching how Purdy became the field marshal that recently signed an extension of the contract of five years and 265 million dollars with the 49ers.
For Jones, Brock Purdy It is a daily reminder of how to develop in the right place with the appropriate coaching staff can generate great dividends.
Before signing with the niners, Jones also highlighted the rise of Sam Darnoldanother former high -ranking player of the Draft who had difficulties in other teams, went to San Francisco and since then has reaped successes with the Minnesota Vikings and signed a considerable contract as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks.
Despite the difficulties of Jones in other organizations, 49ers They still see a similar potential in him.
“It has many qualities that we like for a starting field marshal,” Kubiak said. “His career has had ups and downs in recent years, but in Jacksonville We saw the same thing that we loved of him as a university prospect, and that excites us a lot … I think Mac is able to be a start in this league. “
For that to happen, Mac Jones You will have to rebuild from scratch, starting with your trust. Jones says that it is important to recognize what could have done better in previous stages, and that he intends to use those “scars” as motivation to improve.
In San Franciscois the undisputed substitute behind the undisputed holder Purdy. It remains to be seen if he plays or not, although Purdy lost a couple of games due to injury in 2024.
And if Jones needs to go into action, Shanahan does not want to be launched from the interceptions released in the training or organized activities of the team, but remember those mistakes not to commit them again when they really matter.
“If you go through all these training and never launch an interception, you are probably not improving,” Shanahan said. “It is difficult when you enter that stadium and things like that. They not only hit you for the first time, but now all that counts, and if you do not let yourself go and pass through all that in training, you will not improve in the games and then, generally, it is a matter of time before someone surpasses you.”
