Mac Jones, Alabama, San Francisco 49ers
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to have their starting quarterback situation figured out sometime in March. That’s when Aaron Rodgers is projected to make his decision on whether he will return for one more season.
“The belief around the league — and let’s preface this by saying it’s Aaron Rodgers and there are never any absolutes, and things could change like that — but the belief around the league is that the feeling is he’s supposed to give an answer by mid-March,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter told Dan Stanczyk.
“It sounds like he’s more likely than not to be back today. The feeling is he’ll be back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
While Pittsburgh and new head coach Mike McCarthy play that waiting game, there is likely a Plan B in place should the 42-year-old decide to hang it up.
What that could be is anyone’s guess. However, with the free agent and trade market for quarterbacks expected to be active this offseason, the Steelers will likely be in play for one of them. One of those names: San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones.
Steelers Trade Pitch For 49ers’ Mac Jones
On February 8, Schefter reported that the 49ers “have no plans” to trade Jones and that they “fully intend” to have him back for the 2026 season.
That doesn’t mean things can’t change quickly once the new league year begins on March 11. But as CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan noted, “Any team looking to trade for Jones will likely need to be prepared to pay a pretty penny.”
The trade pitch Sullivan presents for Pittsburgh is sending a 2026 second-round pick, No. 53 overall, to San Francisco.
“This deal is a little more straightforward as it’s a simple player-for-pick swap,” Sullivan wrote, comparing it to the 2017 trade that sent Jimmy Garoppolo to San Francisco for a 2018 second-round pick.
Sullivan added that if Rodgers returns, that likely takes the Steelers out of the Jones sweepstakes.
“Under that scenario, Pittsburgh likely wouldn’t bring in Jones in a backup role as the heir apparent to Rodgers, nor would Jones likely want to do that either. The Steelers would probably address their long-term quarterback needs either in the 2026 NFL Draft or in some capacity next offseason.”
Steelers Could Look To Make Mac Jones Their Future at QB
The Steelers currently hold 10 total picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, so they have flexibility if they choose to make a move. But it would cost them their only second-round selection.
That might be a gamble worth taking if they truly believe Jones could become the long-term answer they’ve been searching for since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
“Pittsburgh also has $44.9 million in available salary cap space, so they could not only figure out a long-term deal with Jones this offseason, but also have enough room to continue adding pieces,” Sullivan added.
Jones is set to make a $1.4 million base salary in 2026 with a $428,000 signing bonus. Any extension would push that number significantly higher — especially after how he performed in relief of Brock Purdy.