Mac Jones has been playing out of his mind for the San Francisco 49ers. Filling in for the injured Brock Purdy, the former first-round pick is having a career renaissance in the Bay Area. He's led San Francisco to an improbable 5-2 record despite the many injuries to their lineup this season.
Jones will most likely be rewarded with a big contract to be another team's backup after this season. He might even get rewarded with a starter's contract if things break the right way. That being said, Jones has already been rewarded for his solid play this season, solely based on how his contract works.
“With the #49ers beating the #Falcons on Sunday night, QB Mac Jones unlocked a $400K incentive with his fourth win as a starter,” Ian Rapoport reported. “Now that he’s reached the four-win threshold, he gets $100K for each W.”
Jones probably never expected to be in a position to even have a chance to win four games. Purdy has been a force to be reckoned with for the 49ers over the last few years. It was impossible to foresee Purdy getting benched… unless of course he was injured. After Purdy injured his toe earlier this season, though, Jones got a chance to be the starter for a playoff-caliber team (albeit one dealing with injuries).
Jones has gotten the starting nod in five of the 49ers' games this season. He's lost just one game, his first start against the then-undefeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3. During those five games, amassing a 67% completion rate. He's thrown six touchdowns and four interceptions in that time period, which isn't a pretty number. However, he's done enough in the Kyle Shanahan system to keep everything moving.
With Purdy set to make his return to the 49ers soon, the Cinderella story of Jones might come to an end. Still, his story has been quite the feel-good story this season, and he's piloted the team to a stellar record without their usual starter.
