Who Should I Start? Mac Jones or Jayden Higgins

Wednesday, February 25, 5:08 AM

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch reiterated the team's desire to keep backup quarterback Mac Jones at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN. "He's really good for us, and we value that. And so somebody would have to come with something fairly strong for us to consider (trading him). And then I don't know what we do. Obviously, there's always something that would make you (do it), but I think we're a better team with him on it and we just like having him around," Lynch said. The 27-year-old signed a two-year, $8.41 million deal with San Fran in March of last year and ended up playing in 11 games (eight starts) with Brock Purdy missing a good chunk of the season with a turf-toe injury. Jones played well, too, throwing for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six picks while going 5-3. QB-needy teams will come calling, but it sounds like the Niners will need to be blown away by a trade offer to even consider dealing him.

Wednesday, February 4, 4:17 PM

The Houston Texans selected wide receiver Jayden Higgins in the second round in 2025 out of Iowa State, and he finished his rookie season in the NFL with 41 receptions on 68 targets for 525 yards and six touchdowns in 17 regular-season contests. Higgins was the Texans' third leading receiver behind Nico Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz. In the team's two playoff games, the 23-year-old caught nine of his 14 targets for 98 yards. Higgins' success going forward will be tied to whether quarterback C.J. Stroud can bounce back following a couple of disappointing campaigns after his outstanding rookie year, but either way, he should be Houston's No. 2 behind Collins with Christian Kirk hitting free agency this March. Higgins has the size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and speed to take a big step forward with more targets in his sophomore season.