The 49ers need a backup quarterback and Mac Jones seems available. Will the 49ers trade for him?

The 49ers’ current backup quarterback is Sam Darnold, who will be a free agent next month and most likely will sign somewhere else. And when he does, the 49ers will need to replace him.

Sure, they could sign an aging veteran such as Joe Flacco, who was excellent for the Browns last season after Deshaun Watson went down. Or the 49ers could draft another quarterback and attempt to find the next Brock Purdy.

Either approach would be fine. But there’s a third option the 49ers might like: Trade for Mac Jones.

Remember, the 49ers almost drafted Mac Jones with the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft but seemed to change their mind at the last minute and draft Trey Lance, who now is on the Cowboys. At the time, Kyle Shanahan said he thought both Jones and Lance were future starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Now Jones most likely is available, because the Patriots fired Bill Belichick and their new head coach isn’t tied to Jones. In fact, the Patriots don’t seem to like him much. They benched him last season, and there were reports that he’s not coachable.