Everyone seems pretty much in agreement on the fact that the Minnesota Vikings need to bring in some kind of new quarterback.
Whether that QB takes over for J.J. McCarthy or just provides competition, the Vikings owe it to themselves to do due diligence at the most important position in sports.
There aren’t a ton of awesome quarterbacks hanging out on the market this offseason, but one guy who could find himself in trade rumors is Mac Jones.
The former Patriots first-rounder was just the backup for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025, but he played plenty and looked solid as Brock Purdy battled injuries.
Jones has just one year remaining on his contract, and the 49ers might want to keep him, but there’s likely a price that would be good enough to get him.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote in a new article Money that the Vikings should trade a 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick (conditional) and 2028 third-round pick (conditional) for Jones and a 2027 third-rounder.
“This would be sort of a complicated trade, but the Vikings would be adding a quarterback who showed some of his former upside in San Francisco,” Barnwell writes. “Jones posted a 62.3 Total QBR during his lone season with the 49ers, coming in a little more than 10 points behind Brock Purdy’s 73.0 mark. Jones is due just $4.7 million in 2026, which will be the final year of his contract. And of course, we know that the Vikings have been willing to take a swing on quarterbacks who have gone through the Kyle Shanahan rejuvenation cycle before, having signed Sam Darnold after the Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.”
Barnwell does also go on to explain how those conditional picks would play a role.
“In this deal, the 49ers get a second-rounder for a future third-rounder,” Barnwell writes. “There are also two conditional picks, which should help protect them if Jones blossoms in Minnesota. The 2027 conditional pick would trigger based on Jones’ playing time with the Vikings. If he starts four games in 2026, the Vikings send a fifth-round pick out west. If Jones starts 12 games, that gets upped to a third-rounder. And then, if Jones re-signs with the Vikings after the 2026 season and starts at least one game for the Vikings in 2027, the 49ers would land another third-round pick.”
If Jones is indeed on the trading block, other teams will be interested, too.
The Vikings have too talented a roster not to throw their hat in the ring. They just need to get the QB position right, no matter the cost.
More NFL news: