Quarterback Mac Jones—battered and bloodied—led the 49ers to a 34–24 victory over the Giants on Sunday afternoon, and in the process pulled off an incredibly selfless gesture.
With the game wrapped up and San Francisco’s offense in victory formation, Jones came out of the game for backup quarterback Adrian Martinez, who took a knee and closed things out. In turn, it was also Martinez's first snap of his NFL career.
The best part? After the game, it was revealed that the substitution was Jones's doing, not the 49ers' coaches.
“Yeah, Kyle [Shanahan] already took his headset off and I’m like, ‘C’mon! C’mon Adrian!’,” explained Jones. "So I just subbed myself out, snuck to the sideline. But I was happy, I think Adrian was gonna go in either way. They wanted him to get in there ... Once we were taking a knee, I definitely wanted Adrian to be there."
Mac Jones subbed himself out so Adrian Martinez could take his first NFL snap 🥹 pic.twitter.com/Ex88tLk5uT
— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) November 3, 2025
Martinez has served as San Francisco’s backup for Jones while he takes over for starter Brock Purdy, who’s been dealing with a turf toe injury.
“He’s been awesome, to be honest," Jones said of Martinez. "He’s a good friend of mine, just gotten to know him. He’s been a great voice in that room along with Brock and [Kurtis] Rourke as well.”
A really cool moment for Martinez, and perhaps an even cooler move by Jones.
With their win over New York, the 49ers now sit at 6-3 to begin the 2025 season. They’ll take on the NFC West-leading Rams next Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, with Purdy’s status still up in the air.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Mac Jones Had an Incredibly Selfless Gesture for Backup QB at End of 49ers Win.
