Mac Jones on 49ers choosing Lance over him, why he was meant to join Shanahan
By David Bonilla
Published Jul 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM
“I remember like all the hype leading up to it, but yeah, I think everything happens for a reason,” Jones said. “Like I’m here where I’m at now, and I did think—they traded up for somebody, and I knew it was one of two people, and I was one of the people. So, I guess if you’re a gambling man, it’s a 50/50 shot at the start.”
Jones recalled his extensive pre-draft meetings with Shanahan and the 49ers.
“And I felt like I had really good interviews,” Jones said. “Kyle really liked what I was doing on Zoom. My Zoom setup was incredible. I had the whiteboard and all the right s–t. I’m like, I’m gonna do this right. So, I had it all, and I would go in there and show tape and try and show them what my superpower is, which is my ability to process and be smart, and also like rip it, and show them that I have that side of me too.”
He entered draft night believing he had a legitimate chance to land in San Francisco.
“So I think I had good interviews, and leading up to it, I was like feeling good about it,” Jones said. “And I met with a bunch of teams, and a lot of teams thought I was going to be gone, so they didn’t even meet with me. Anyways, so like the day comes, and I ended up not getting picked by them, and I didn’t really know. It was 50/50. We really didn’t [know]. And they went with Trey, which is just fine. And Trey, I know Trey. He’s a good dude.
“And I think, Kyle, he really wanted me to get back there somehow, like when I went to New England.”
Jones even joked that the 49ers could have saved themselves a historic trade package. After all, the team initially owned the No. 12 overall pick. The New England Patriots ended up selecting Jones at No. 15.
READ MORE: https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/201411-jones-49ers-choosing-lance-shanahan/
