The New England Patriots witnessed Sam Darnold complete a fairy-tale transformation from castoff to Super Bowl champion. Rich Eisen believes a former Patriots quarterback is a feasible choice to become the position's next success story.
The radio host identified Mac Jones as his top choice to enjoy a Darnold-esque breakout on Monday's "The Rich Eisen Show."
"Mac Jones, in my estimation, is the most likely candidate to be the next Sam Darnold of anybody else," Eisen said.
Eisen noted that Jones also entered the NFL as a former first-round pick, and he played relatively well under Bill Belichick as a rookie in 2021. However, Jones backpedaled in the next two seasons before the Patriots moved on to Drake Maye.
Jones spent 2024 with the Jacksonville Jaguars before going to the San Francisco 49ers, where Darnold backed up Brock Purdy in 2023 before receiving another starting opportunity with the Minnesota Vikings.
Unlike Darnold, Jones played meaningful reps when playing in 11 games for San Francisco. He posted a 97.4 quarterback rating and won five of eight starts for head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Jones showed the ability to flourish in the right situation, but Eisen wondered why the 49ers would trade the 27-year-old after helping them make the playoffs.
"He's actually in the Shanahan system that everybody credits for Sam Darnold's reset," Eisen said. "And Brock Purdy was not available for some time this year, and Mac Jones kept the Niners so afloat, they almost won the one seed ... Why would the Niners make him available?"
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