The San Francisco 49ers received what looked like routine good news this week, but inside the building, it carried far greater implications. Rookie quarterback Kurtis Rourke has officially had his practice window opened, marking his return to the field after spending the entire season rehabbing a collegiate ACL injury. On the surface, it’s simply another young player getting healthy. In reality, it may be the first domino in a decision that could reshape the 49ers’ quarterback room — and determine whether Mac Jones remains part of the organization beyond this season.

Rourke, a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has been out of sight and largely out of mind for months. Now, his return comes at a delicate moment for San Francisco. The 49ers are 9–4, firmly in the playoff picture, and much of that success can be traced back to Jones, who stabilized the offense during Brock Purdy’s absence earlier this year. Jones didn’t just survive as a fill-in — he thrived, throwing for 2,151 yards with 13 touchdowns and only six interceptions, keeping the team afloat and silencing doubts about his fit in Kyle Shanahan’s system.

That performance, however, created a new problem. With Purdy entrenched as the franchise quarterback and Jones proving he can still operate at a high level, the 49ers suddenly find themselves holding one of the most valuable assets in the NFL: a proven, starting-caliber backup quarterback on a reasonable contract. Jones has been mentioned in trade conversations all season, and quarterback-needy teams have taken notice. The question for San Francisco has never been whether Jones has value — it’s whether the team can afford to lose him.

That’s where Rourke enters the picture. Internally, the 49ers have made it clear that practice evaluations matter, sometimes more than draft status or public perception. “We’ve always believed you can learn a lot about a quarterback just by watching him work day to day,” one team source said. “If a guy can process, command the huddle, and run the offense in practice, that tells you plenty.” It’s the same philosophy that allowed Brock Purdy, once a seventh-round afterthought, to climb the depth chart in 2022 and never look back.

Rourke’s college résumé gives the coaching staff plenty to work with. In his final season at Indiana, he threw for 3,042 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just five interceptions across 12 games. Thanks to the pandemic, he played six seasons of college football, logging an enormous number of reps and developing a level of maturity uncommon for late-round rookies. That experience mirrors one of the traits the 49ers loved about Purdy coming out of Iowa State: a quarterback who has seen nearly every coverage and pressure look imaginable.

Still, the organization is being careful not to rush comparisons. San Francisco has seen enough unheralded quarterbacks pass through the building to know that lightning doesn’t always strike twice. Rourke is unlikely to see meaningful game action this season barring an emergency. His value right now lies almost entirely in what he shows behind closed doors — footwork, decision-making, timing, and command of Shanahan’s notoriously demanding offense. If those elements show up consistently in practice, the calculus around Jones changes dramatically.

From a roster-building standpoint, the implications are massive. The 49ers want to continue building through the draft, particularly on the defensive line and at wide receiver, where future contract decisions loom. If a team were willing to offer a second-round pick for Jones, that asset could be flipped into a cost-controlled starter at a premium position. But trading Jones without a competent backup in place would be reckless, especially given Purdy’s injury history and the lesson this season has already taught about the value of quarterback depth.

That’s why Rourke’s return matters so much. If he proves capable of being a serviceable No. 2 quarterback — someone who can manage games and keep the offense functional — the front office suddenly has flexibility. Jones becomes less of a necessity and more of a luxury. Conversely, if Rourke struggles to adjust to NFL speed and complexity, the argument for keeping Jones becomes overwhelming, even if trade interest continues to build.

Kyle Shanahan has been here before. In 2022, it was practice — not draft pedigree — that convinced him Brock Purdy was the best quarterback on the roster. The same process is unfolding again, quietly and methodically. Every rep Rourke takes will be evaluated through that lens, not with hype, but with scrutiny. The staff knows exactly what they’re looking for, and they won’t hesitate to act if they see it.

For now, nothing is decided. Jones remains an integral part of the 49ers’ playoff push, and Rourke remains an unknown quantity returning from injury. But inside the building, the timing is impossible to ignore. A rookie quarterback is back on the field, tradenkept in the shadows until now — and his performance in practice may ultimately determine whether Mac Jones’ impressive San Francisco chapter becomes a long-term partnership or a short, valuable bridge to the future.