To call the San Francisco 49ers' 4-1 start to the season unorthodox almost feels like an understatement.
The Niners have been among the NFL's most injured teams again this season, a trend they cannot seem to buck no matter what they do. Key players like quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, and what seems like the bulk of the defensive line have missed time, while guys like Brandon Aiyuk haven't seen the field and Nick Bosa is already out for the rest of the year.
On that front, it's been an absolute disaster for the 49ers, and yet somehow, someway, they have managed to claw their way to first place in the NFC West through five weeks.
One of the main reasons for that is the consistent and gritty play of backup quarterback Mac Jones, who made his third start of the season in last Thursday's 26-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams, despite his own knee ailment and cramping that appeared to plague him throughout the fourth quarter and overtime.
Jones' play, and the presence of Purdy and his new contract, has some speculating about how Jones could be used as a trade piece to help the 49ers out in some capacity, namely the defensive line, as they continue their playoff push.
The problem with the even consider trading Jones at this point is that nobody knows when Purdy will be healthy again.
There's a simple reason 49ers won't trade Mac Jones
After suffering a turf toe injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, Purdy missed the wins over the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals before stepping back in against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 4. But he didn't look himself, and it was revealed he aggrivated the toe again during the loss to the Jags, leading to Jones' return on Thursday.
Maybe the Niners rushed Purdy back too quickly, but for this particular argument, that's neither here nor there. Ultimately, if the health of the starting quarterback for a team with playoff aspirations is uncertain and you have a capable backup, trading said backup would be more detrimental than not adding another pass-rusher.
If Purdy had a clean bill of health, then maybe you could entertain a Jones trade where the 49ers clearly got the better end of the deal.
But barring anything that blows general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan away, there's no reason to move Jones.
He hasn't been perfect, but it's safe to say if the 49ers had a different backup, they'd be closer to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft than the playoffs.