Mac Jones has quickly become one of the most talked-about players in football, and for all the right reasons. After Brock Purdy’s injury, the former Patriots first-round pick stepped in for the San Francisco 49ers and hasn’t missed a beat. He’s now 3-0 as a starter, capping his impressive run with a 26–23 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football.
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Completing 33 of 49 passes for 342 yards and two touchdowns, the quarterback once labeled a first-round bust in New England suddenly looked reborn under Kyle Shanahan, thriving in a system that rewards quick reads and precision.
Despite having a depleted receiving corps, with several key wideouts sidelined and recent pickup Kendrick Bourne thrust into action, Jones looked sharp and composed, a direct contrast to how he is known among friends as the “Joker.”
In an interview, Jones shared the backstory behind his well-known college nickname, “The Joker.”
“My real name is Michael McCorkle Jones. A lot of people call me McCorkle, and that’s where I get Mac from. But don’t call me Michael,” Jones shared.
“Obviously, Mac is my nickname because my real name is Michael, but a lot of people called me The Joker in college. That’s like a big one everyone knows about, ‘cause whenever I laugh, I open my mouth really wide, so that’s where I get the Joker from.”
It’s a playful moniker that perfectly fits the image of a quarterback known for his easygoing, infectious personality in the locker room. Jones even mentioned that he’s heard plenty of nicknames over the years, but “The Joker” is the one that stuck, thanks to his signature laugh.
But it turns out that neither was Jones always this easygoing, nor did everyone have the same nickname for him. Legendary Alabama head coach Nick Saban revealed on Friday that he had a very different name for his former quarterback.
Saban shared that he used to call Jones “John McEnroe”, a reference to the fiery tennis legend known for his emotional outbursts.
“I used to call him John McEnroe,” Saban said. “Mac was a tennis player in high school. When Mac threw a bad pass, he’d kick and fuss and cuss and all that, so I’d say, ‘John, are you going to throw your racket now?’ I told him, ‘You can’t do that and play quarterback. You’re affecting the whole team out here. You make one bad play and go bananas, you can’t let your emotions hurt everyone else.’”
Elsewhere in the segment, Jones also reflected on how he’s adjusted to life in San Francisco and how much he’s enjoying the chemistry with head coach Kyle Shanahan. He emphasized how Shanahan’s offensive system “just makes sense,” allowing him to play fast and confident, something that wasn’t always the case during his rocky tenure in New England.
Still, things won’t get any easier for Jones and the 49ers. Next week, they face a formidable Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense, one that ranks among the league’s best in takeaways and pressure rate. It’ll be another major test for Jones, who has gone from a perceived bust to a revitalized playmaker, and perhaps the NFL’s most unexpected comeback story of the season.
