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Why the 49ers Technically Didn't Start Jordan Mason vs. the Patriots

The 49ers currently are spending big bucks on Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Jauan Jennings. Which means Kyle Shanahan has to find a way to get them on the field as much as possible to justify their contracts.

Grant Cohn

Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) is tackled by New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (0) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images / Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
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Jordan Mason rushed for 147 yards and 1 touchdown Sunday against the Patriots. But he technically didn't start the game.

Mason currently leads the NFL in rushing attempts and ranks second in the league in rushing yards. He's having a Pro Bowl season. But he's earning less than $1 million this season, which means he's the cheapest player on an offense full of expensive veterans.

The 49ers currently are spending big bucks on Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Jauan Jennings. Which means Kyle Shanahan has to find a way to get them on the field as much as possible to justify their contracts.

So on the first play of the 49ers' 30-13 win over the Patriots, Mason was on the sideline while Aiyuk, Samuel, Kittle, Juszczyk and Jennings all were on the field. Samuel lined up at running back and carried the ball for 6 yards. Then Jennings ran off the field and Mason took his place. All so Kyle Shanahan could start both Juszczyk and Jennings at the same time and not bench one of them.

Jennings currently is the NFL's fourth-leading receiver -- he needs to start every week from now on. Meanwhile, Juszczyk is a 33-year-old fullback who touches the ball once or twice a game. He's by far the least valuable starter among the offensive skill players. Both Jennings and Mason should start over him every game while Juszczyk should play sparingly in obvious running downs.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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