Vikings get: QB Mac Jones, 2027 third-round pick
49ers get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick (conditional), 2028 third-round pick (conditional)
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 now-Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.
In this deal, the 49ers get a second-rounder for a future third-rounder. 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 spends just 2025 backing up McCarthy, the 49ers swap only the Day 2 picks. If Jones emerges as the long-term starter in Minnesota, though, the Vikings could send a second-rounder and two third-round picks to the 49ers — a price that Kevin O’Connell would surely be happy to pay for an upgrade at quarterback.