Makes sense for everyone, right?
The San Francisco 49ers reportedly want to hang onto backup quarterback Mac Jones this offseason. What if the Niners front office receives an offer it simply cannot refuse, though?
Former 49ers safety Donte Whitner threw out an interesting trade idea recently. He said San Francisco should look at trading Jones in exchange for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby.
While many think the Raiders will select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick, Whitner isn’t sold on the Indiana quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy last year:
“He ain’t gonna be [expletive]. They need to get Mac Jones over there. Mac Jones, a first-round pick and a second round pick for Maxx Crosby. That puts you in position to compete with the Seattle Seahawks.”
Would the Raiders really bite at that? Jones, a first- and a second-rounder for Crosby?
The situation with Crosby doesn’t seem to be getting any better in Vegas. While the Raiders have long been reluctant to trade him, it seems that a breaking point was reached last season when Las Vegas shut him down for the final games against his wishes.
Now, the Raiders may not have any choice but to shop him this offseason as they look to rebuild a franchise that has been struggling for quite a while.
Bringing in Jones may not be the worst idea. While many teams try to rebuild by drafting a young quarterback, the Seahawks showed that a team can bring in a veteran like Sam Darnold and win a Super Bowl.
Of course, Darnold was surrounded by a lot of talent on offense and was propped up by a great defense, so the Raiders probably do not have the same situation that would allow Jones to come in and have immediate success.
Still, Jones proved last season that he can succeed in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Klint Kubiak is going to be the one running the show in Las Vegas now, and he was just a coach with the 49ers a few seasons ago before he became Seattle’s offensive coordinator.
Jones should be able to succeed in that style of offense, but he would still need some talent around him to make that possible.
The 49ers would obviously hate to lose the insurance policy that Jones proved to be last season. He helped them stay alive and win enough games to make it to the playoffs. So without him, the Niners would be in a tough spot if Brock Purdy went down again next season.
However, adding Crosby would transform San Francisco’s defense and give it two great edge rushers in him and Nick Bosa.
It’s probably not the likeliest of trades, but it is an interesting thought from Whitner as the 49ers try to get better and catch up with Seattle this offseason.
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