Getty
Head coach Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings will face serious competition for the hottest commodities on the QB market once March hits, including one particular player potentially available via trade.
Seasoned veterans such as Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins, as well as well as relative newcomers like Malik Willis, will be available in free agency. But it is the trade market that might receive the most attention — in particular, San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones and his Sam Darnold-like career trajectory after Jones reinvented himself under offensive guru/head coach Kyle Shanahan last year.
Teams like the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets could push up the trade price for Jones. But ESPN’s Bill Barnwell authored a proposal on Monday, February 16 that he believes can get Jones to Minnesota, which would keep him on Darnold’s exact path back to prominence.
Barnwell’s pitch would see the Vikings send their second round pick in 2026 (No. 49 overall) along with a conditional fifth-round selection in 2027 and a conditional third-rounder in 2028 to San Francisco in exchange for Jones and the Niners’ third-round pick next year.
“The Vikings can’t afford to leave JJ McCarthy an uncontested path to their starting quarterback job again in 2026,” Barnwell wrote. “This would be sort of a complicated trade, but the Vikings would be adding a quarterback who showed some of his upside in San Francisco.”
Mac Jones Trade Provides Flexibility for Vikings With Regards to QB Future, Overall Cost
GettyQuarterback Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers.
What makes the move unique is that McCarthy would still get a chance to hold onto the starting job in 2026, and Jones may simply end up his backup/injury fill-in for one season before moving on.
In that case, Minnesota would have ultimately overpaid for Jones, essentially swapping third-rounders with San Francisco and giving up a second and a fifth for the former first-round QB (No. 15 overall to the New England Patriots in 2021). But that also means McCarthy will have proven himself and that the Vikings will have responsibly hedged against that outcome over the course of the campaign.
However, if Jones wins the job, proves a fit in Kevin O’Connell’s system and inks a longterm contract, then the 49ers cash in on Jones, but the Vikings still come out of the deal feeling like winners.
“If Jones spends just 2025 backing up McCarthy, the 49ers swap only the Day 2 picks,” Barnwell continued. “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.”
JJ McCarthy Should, Will Get Chance to Remain QB1 if Vikings Trade for Mac Jones
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.
Jones, 27, completed 69.6 percent of his passes across eight starts last season (5-3) and 11 appearances. He accounted for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Jones has thrown for nearly 13,000 yards over his five-year career.
Were the Vikings to acquire Jones, he would bring just a $2.8 million base salary with him.
Meanwhile, McCarthy went 6-4 in 10 starts. Those were the first 10 outings of his NFL career, as he missed the entirety of his rookie campaign with injury.
McCarthy completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs in 2025, missing seven games due to three injuries (high-ankle sprain, concussion, hairline fracture in throwing hand).
“It’s reasonable to say that McCarthy deserves more time,” Barnwell added. “Though, the Vikings need real competition for him in camp. They also need a backup who can step in to play, given that McCarthy has missed 24 games over his first two years.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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