Timeline: How Mac Jones ended up being the 49ers’ starting quarterback

SANTA CLARA Mac Jones in just his second challenge as a er is the starting quarterback Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints The -year-old Alabama product is playing for his third crew over his five-year NFL career as he fills in for Brock Purdy who went down in the ers win last week in Seattle with a turf toe injury The ers may need Jones to start more than just this Week NFC showdown as general manager John Lynch described Purdy s injury as week-to-week in a Thursday radio interview Bay Area fans may recall the ers considered drafting Jones with the No overall pick in the draft but instead went with Trey Lance Jones fell to the Patriots at No and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie but was eventually traded in to Jacksonville After a year there he signed with the Niners to back up Purdy the last pick in the draft who turned that opportunity into a top- quarterback contract this offseason Here s a look at how Jones wound up in position to direct the offense on Sunday July A four-star prospect out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville Jones commits to Kentucky June Jones decommits from Kentucky and instead signs with Alabama Sept As a redshirt freshman Jones completes the first pass of his college career good for yards in a - win at Ole Miss He ends the season of for yards and a touchdown playing behind Tua Tagovailoa Oct In his first college start against Arkansas playing for an injured Tagovailoa Jones completes of passes for yards three touchdowns and no interceptions in a - win in Tuscaloosa Alabama Nov Jones loses his first tournament as an Alabama starter - at Auburn He completed of passes for yards and four touchdowns but had two interceptions returned for touchdowns yards by Smoke Monday and yards by Koby McClain Jan Alabama beats Michigan - in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando to finish the season - Jones completed of for yards three touchdowns and no interceptions Sept Jones begins his junior season with a - win at Missouri He completed of passes for yards two touchdowns and no interceptions Jan Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith becomes the first wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard in Jones finished third behind Smith and Trevor Lawrence with first-place votes Jan The Crimson Tide finish a - season with a - win over Ohio State in the College Football Championship challenge Jones completed of passes for yards and five touchdowns In his final three games Jones is of for yards touchdowns and one interception He finishes the season percent for yards touchdowns and four interceptions Mac Jones center celebrates after Alabama's - win over Ohio State in the College Football Championship contest in Miami A P Photo March The ers contract their first-round pick No overall and a third-round pick plus first-round selections in - to move up to the No selection With Lawrence and BYU s Zach Wilson projected as No and No the ers are scouting North Dakota State s Trey Lance Jones and Ohio State s Justin Fields April With Lawrence and Wilson both going off the board at Nos and to Jacksonville and the New York Jets the ers select Lance at No Jones is selected by New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick at No to compete with Cam Newton for the starting job Aug Belichick names Jones the Patriots starting quarterback and releases Newton Sept In his first NFL start Jones complets of passes for yards one touchdown and no interceptions in a - home loss to Miami Sept Jones records his first win as an NFL quarterback completing of passes for yards and no touchdowns in a - road win over the New York Jets Jan The Patriots beat Jacksonville - improving to - and securing a Wild Card berth in the NFL playoffs Jones completed of passes for yards three touchdowns and no interceptions Jan The Patriots lose to Miami - but Jones finishes his rookie season having completed of passes percent for yards touchdowns and interceptions Mac Jones confers with coach Bill Belichick while a member of the New England Patriots File photo Jan In a Wild Card playoff match in Buffalo the Patriots lose - Jones completed of passes for yards two touchdowns and two interceptions Feb At the NFL Honors ceremony Cincinnati wide receiver Ja Marr Chase wins the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award Jones finishes second Sept In a - home loss to Baltimore Jones completed of passes for yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions and leaves the meeting late with a high ankle sprain and misses the next three games Jan The Patriots finish the season - with Jones going - as a starter and completing of passes for yards touchdowns and interceptions Oct Jones is benched by Belichick in favor of Bailey Zappe for the first time during a - loss to Dallas It would happen twice more and with the Patriots falling to - Zappe finishes a - season as the starter Jones did not play in the final six games of the season March Jones is traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in the NFL Draft to be the backup for Trevor Lawrence Nov Lawrence is sidelined with an AC joint in his shoulder that demands surgery Jones takes over as the Jaguars starter against Minnesota The Jaguars are - with Jones as the starter and Jacksonville declines his fifth-year option making him a free agent Related Articles How to watch the ers vs the Saints on Sunday ers keys to winning without Purdy Kittle at New Orleans Saints ers good humor man Mac Jones ready for his opportunity replacing Brock Purdy ers injury woes continue Trent Williams questionable against Saints The Bob Show DC Robert Saleh is here to save the ers season March A year to the date when Jones was traded to Jacksonville he signs a two-year million contract with the ers to back up Brock Purdy Sept A day after the ers beat on the road - coach Kyle Shanahan reveals Purdy sustained toe and shoulder injuries that could sideline him for their Week battle in New Orleans Sept Purdy is officially declared out of the New Orleans championship making Jones the starter for what could be multiple games He is - as an NFL starter with yards passing with touchdowns and interceptions