The San Francisco 49ers are sitting in the driver's seat this offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs should take notes on how to do the same.
Quarterbacks are at a premium, as always, around the National Football League these days, and the lack of quality starters available on the open market means that some franchises are going to sail some trade routes. For the Niners, a popular route will lead to Mac Jones, the team's backup quarterback, who started eight games a year ago with Brock Purdy injured.
Jones enjoyed a nice rebound campaign for the 49ers in 2025, with a 5-3 overall record as the starter and 13 touchdown passes to 6 interceptions. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes (69.6 percent) with 195.5 yards per game, finishing with an impressive passer rating of 97.4 (and a QBR of 62.3).
Following the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl LX victory with Sam Bradford at the helm, the idea of taking on a younger reclamation project is certain to become all the rage for QB-needy teams in the face of a lackluster draft class. That makes Jones a prime trade target this offseason for franchises like the Minnesota Vikings, Pittsburgh Steelers, or New York Jets, just to name a few.
The 49ers figured something out in the backup quarterback market, and the Chiefs would be wise to mimic the idea.
Here's where K.C. general manager Brett Veach can learn something. The Niners signed Jones as Purdy's backup before the 2025 season, but they got him to sign a two-year deal. After he improved his stock in year one, Jones is now a desired trade asset who is also on a very financially-friendly contract (with a cap hit well under $5 million).
For K.C., the approach has been to sign a new veteran backup each offseason, a series of cheaper one-year deals that provides a bit of security behind Patrick Mahomes. It might be interesting for the Chiefs to consider taking a similar tack as the 49ers. Imagine if Gardner Minshew had signed a two-year deal last spring instead. While his season was also ruined by injury, he's already back to "full strength" on his injured knee and will be just fine for the 2026 season.
Because Mahomes is also on the mend from a torn ACL and LCL, the Chiefs are looking at a scary proposition at QB on paper. Of course, Mahomes could be healthy by Week 1 and Minshew could re-sign. But a two-year deal in the first place would have kept some security already on hand and done away with at least some of the insecurity at the present moment.
In addition, had Mahomes not been injured, Minshew could have become a potential trade chip for the Chiefs front office in the face of so much quarterback uncertainty across the league. No team is going to want to install Minshew as a full-time starter in 2026, but he's certainly a strong stopgap and someone who could help mentor a draft choice. There's real value in having someone like that around.
In a copycat league, other franchises are likely going to look at the 49ers current advantage and follow suit. That's not the worst idea. As the Chiefs go shopping for backup quarterbacks, it makes sense to think beyond the '26 season as they do so.