Bleacher Report Floats Mac Jones Trade to Buccaneers After 0-4 Start
Bleacher Report has floated a trade that would send San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a conditional 2027 third-round…
Bleacher Report has proposed Mac Jones as a possible answer to Tampa Bay’s quarterback problem, linking the San Francisco 49ers backup to the Buccaneers after their 0-4 start. The suggestion comes as Baker Mayfield deals with a right-thumb injury expected to keep him out for several more weeks.
The trade idea is not a reported agreement between the teams. It would send Jones to Tampa Bay in exchange for a conditional 2027 third-round draft pick, according to the proposal cited by NESN.
The Buccaneers now face a decision about whether adding a quarterback could help salvage their season while Mayfield is unavailable. The proposal places Jones, whom NESN describes as one of the NFL’s best backup quarterbacks, in the conversation as a potential starter elsewhere.
Bleacher Report pointed to Tampa Bay’s situation after Mayfield dislocated his right thumb in Week 3. The outlet said an undrafted rookie could be starting with the season on the line in Week 4, following the Buccaneers’ 0-4 start.
“When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers issued a blockbuster contract extension to Baker Mayfield right before the 2026 NFL season kicked off, they probably didn't expect an undrafted rookie to be their starting quarterback with the season on the line in Week 4,” Bleacher Report wrote.
Mayfield had not missed a game during his first three seasons in Tampa, according to the outlet. His injury changed that run and left the Buccaneers weighing whether to pursue a trade while he recovers.
The proposed return is a conditional third-round selection in 2027. NESN reported that the 49ers value Jones highly and that talk of a possible trade has included the prospect of decent draft capital, potentially as much as a second-round pick. That reported valuation differs from the specific conditional pick in Bleacher Report’s suggested deal.
For San Francisco, the proposal would mean moving a quarterback it reportedly values. For Tampa Bay, it would offer a possible short-term alternative during Mayfield’s absence, though the sources do not report that either team has acted on the idea.
NESN said Jones could get a chance to start elsewhere during the season. The timing, whether near the trade deadline or a couple of weeks earlier, remains uncertain.
The proposal’s stated price is a conditional 2027 third-round pick.
Source: nesn.com
