{"id":736052,"date":"2026-02-07T16:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/736052\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T16:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T16:53:19","slug":"vikings-qb-target-sounds-like-he-wants-to-be-traded","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/736052\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings QB Target Sounds like He Wants to Be Traded"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings have all but confirmed they will add another quarterback this offseason, probably via trade or free agency. And based on the landscape of possibly available signal-callers, San Francisco 49ers QB2 Mac Jones<\/a> might move the needle. Wouldn\u2019t you know it? He sure sounded like a guy this week who would welcome a trade.<\/p>\n

The fit runs through Shanahan roots, a more straightforward path to snaps, and the Vikings\u2019 need for an absolute contingency behind J.J. McCarthy.<\/p>\n

Jones spoke to NFL.com, explaining his desire to start again, which won\u2019t happen in San Francisco unless Brock Purdy gets injured.<\/p>\n

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Jones-to-Vikings Has Real Logic<\/p>\n

Jones chatter in the purple rumor mill won\u2019t die anytime soon.<\/p>\n

\"49ers<\/p>\n

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones completes pregame throws at Lucas Oil Stadium as preparations unfold in Indianapolis, with December 22, 2025 sitting at the center of a late-season matchup against the Colts. The controlled warmup captures Jones\u2019 mechanics and timing under dome conditions while coaches and evaluators observe routine reps before kickoff nearby. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn<\/p>\n

Jones on His Plans to Start Again<\/p>\n

Reporters asked Jones this week if he\u2019d like to start elsewhere, and he replied<\/a>, \u201cHonestly, it\u2019s a business. You know how this goes. I\u2019ve proven I can be a starter. I\u2019ve proven I can be a starter in multiple different spots. I have 50-plus starts or whatever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know how to do it, but it\u2019s also a business. I understand both sides of it. If you\u2019re a quarterback that\u2019s a free agent or could get traded or whatever your situation is, you want to go somewhere that fits and makes sense. At the end of the day, that\u2019s what I want in San Francisco. We\u2019ll see what happens. It\u2019s good to be talked about.\u201d<\/p>\n

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He also said about the 2025 campaign, \u201cGetting back to having fun and being around a group of guys that I really mesh well with, coaches and players. I felt like it was very laid back, but we put in a lot of work in OTAs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust for them to take me under their wing and for me to learn from all the Hall of Fame players we have, it was awesome. Kyle has been great for me. We\u2019re really on the same \u2026 I call it \u2018wi-fi.\u2019 We\u2019re just a really good match.\u201d<\/p>\n

That sounds like a man who wouldn\u2019t mind a trade and starting gig in 2026.<\/p>\n

Just an Insurance Policy in SF<\/p>\n

Why does Jones want to eventually wiggle out of San Francisco? Simple \u2014 he can\u2019t start there. The 49ers pay Brock Purdy<\/a> the megabucks, and unless Purdy gets hurt again, Jones is merely an insurance policy.<\/p>\n

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Elsewhere, with the Vikings, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, or Pittsburgh Steelers, Jones could be the top guy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all a matter of San Francisco\u2019s willingness to trade him this offseason. General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan<\/a> said a couple of weeks ago that they have no desire to offload Jones. Some have reasoned that 1st- or 2nd-Round draft pick might change their minds.<\/p>\n

The Numbers in 2025<\/p>\n

The case for Jones to Minnesota \u2014 or anywhere \u2014 is really straightforward. He started eight games in 2025, with the 49ers finishing 5-3 on his watch. If one scales his eight-game performance to a full 17 games, the numbers look like this:<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s close to 2024 Darnold<\/a> output, and Minnesota finished 14-3 that year.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no reason to believe that Jones would arrive in Minnesota and suddenly struggle.<\/p>\n

\"Patriots<\/p>\n

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones delivers a first-quarter throw at Gillette Stadium during an early-season test against Dallas, with October 17, 2021 positioned mid-paragraph as the moment unfolds in Foxborough. The in-game snapshot reflects pocket rhythm and decision-making as the Patriots traded scores with the Cowboys before halftime under steady pressure throughout Sunday. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

SI.com\u2018s Jose Sanchez compiled a list of Jones\u2019s trade spots this week and noted on the Vikings<\/a>, \u201cLast, but not least, is the most obvious team \u2014 the Vikings. It was recently reported that they have Jones on their radar, which makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are the most playoff-ready team on this list and can offer the 49ers a great deal. Justin Jefferson is what fans would love to hear, but that won\u2019t happen. It\u2019s more likely for the 49ers to get a pick and Jordan Addison<\/a> from the Vikings. Minnesota gets its quarterback, while the 49ers add draft capital and needed speed at receiver with Addison.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Next Darnold\/Mayfield?<\/p>\n

Baker Mayfield turned his career all the way around in Tampa Bay<\/a>. So did Sam Darnold in 2024 and 2025. Jones could be next.<\/p>\n

He also opined on Darnold, who will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday: \u201cI get asked that a lot. Everyone\u2019s journey is so different. I feel like I\u2019ve watched him in interviews, and he does say that learning from Kyle and Brock really changed his career. I see why now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve learned so much this year. I know Sam probably felt the same way (in his one year in San Francisco). You can see it on the tape, there\u2019s a lot of crossover.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Panthers<\/p>\n

Carolina Panthers quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield jog onto the field at FedExField during pregame routines, with August 13, 2022 embedded mid-paragraph before a matchup against Washington in Landover. The shared warmup moment captures a transitional quarterback room as roles and responsibilities were evaluated ahead of kickoff by coaches and staff members together. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n

If anyone replicates the Mayfield-Darnold path as early as 2026, it will probably be Jones. He already showed his ability to produce at an impressive level in the right system.<\/p>\n

Jones will turn 28 in September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings have all but confirmed they will add another quarterback this offseason, probably via trade or…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":736053,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[390,1842,2644,229,7,2004,8265,2780,5215,9737,233,259,2529,255,6,208,91706,57,1878,1161,252,13625,234],"class_list":["post-736052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-brock-purdy","tag-dallas","tag-football","tag-indianapolis","tag-jordan-addison","tag-justin-jefferson","tag-mac-jones","tag-mandatory-credit","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-quarterback","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-sam-darnold","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-the-colts","tag-vikings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116030395345404514","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=736052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/736052\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/736053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=736052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=736052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=736052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}