Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings made a very aggressive choice to make second-yer quarterback J.J. McCarthy their starter. Even though he missed all of his rookie season last year due to a knee injury, the Vikings decided to throw him on the field and hope for the best.
Instead of pursuing a veteran option like Aaron Rodgers, who had heavy interest in playing for Minnesota, the Vikings took a gamble on their first-round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft.
While McCarthy has shown flashes of big-time potential, it has been very clear that he’s not quite ready to be a starter.
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Through the first six games of his NFL career, McCarthy has completed just 54.1 percent of his pass attempts for 929 yards, six touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He has also picked up 120 yards and two scores on the ground.
Due to the struggles that McCarthy has had this season, some rumblings have begun swirling around that Minnesota could look to bring in another potential starting quarterback option during the NFL offseason.
Should the Vikings choose to explore that route, there is a clear option that must be considered.
Mac Jones has burst onto the scene this season with the San Francisco 49ers. With Brock Purdy dealing with multiple injury issues, Jones has received a handful of starts. He has done very well with those opportunities.
So far this season, Jones has made eight starts for the 49ers. He has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
For the first time, the 27-year-old signal caller has started showing off why he was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is starting to have a very similar story to former Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold.
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Making a trade for Jones would not be a move to “replace” McCarthy necessarily. Jones could simply be acquired to compete with the former Michigan standout. If Jones were to win the starting job, the Vikings would simply have more time to develop McCarthy for the future.
Granted, there is no guarantee that Minnesota will have interest in making an aggressive quarterback move. But, if the Vikings are interested, they should look no further than Jones.
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