Former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and receiver Kendrick Bourne
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Former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and receiver Kendrick Bourne shined for the 49ers in their Week 3 win over Arizona.
The Minnesota Vikings are the favored destination of essentially every potentially available quarterback around the NFL, but reeling in the biggest of names still presents several challenges.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported excellent news for Minnesota on February 13 when he said the following: “My sense right now, from asking around, is that all the top quarterbacks that will be or could be available … (Minnesota) is the place they want to go.”
Alec Lewis of The Athletic on Tuesday, February 17 reported that if the Vikings choose to pursue a trade for a signal-caller, San Francisco 49ers backup QB Mac Jones is the box-checking name to watch most closely.
“He has the pedigree as a former first-rounder. Like former Vikings starter Sam Darnold, he spent a season with Kyle Shanahan in a similar system,” Lewis wrote. “Jones pushes the ball over the middle of the field. He anticipates. His guaranteed salary for 2026 is only $1 million. And he has shown an ability to play through injury and win games for a locker room that quickly embraced him.”
However, Lewis said that Minnesota faces one major obstacle to securing Jones: his current team’s willingness to trade him, even despite the fact that he’s a QB2 with essentially zero chance of taking Brock Purdy’s starting job save for injury.
And if the Vikings can convince the Niners to deal, Jones is going to cost. Big.
“The biggest hurdle here might be prying Jones from San Francisco,” Lewis continued. “The 49ers are going to drive a hard bargain. … If the 49ers keep Jones, they’ll be in line for a solid compensatory pick after the 2026 season. This increases their leverage, which will drive up the cost for Jones.”
Mac Jones Could Cost Vikings 2nd-Round Pick, and More
Mac Jones, 49ers
GettySan Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones.
Thus, Minnesota could be looking at parting with a third-round pick, or possibly even a second-rounder, if the team is serious about dealing for Jones.
The Vikings own the No. 49 pick in Round 2, as well as pick Nos. 82 and 97 in the third round.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN suggested a proposal Monday that flips said second-rounder to the 49ers, as well as conditional selections in the fifth-round (2027) and third-round (2028). San Francisco would send back Jones and a third-round pick in 2027.
The pitch essentially serves as a hedge for Minnesota if McCarthy shows out and wins the starting job next year, leading the Vikings to move on from Jones the following offseason. However, it’s also a hedge for the 49ers if Jones ends up starring in purple and gold.
“If Jones spends just 2025 backing up McCarthy, the 49ers swap only the Day 2 picks,” Barnwell wrote. “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 Shouldn’t Impede Mac Jones’ Path to Minnesota, Could Prove Problem for Veteran QBs
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings
GettyQuarterback JJ McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
JJ McCarthy’s presence on Minnesota’s roster shouldn’t have much impact, if any at all, on whether the team can acquire Jones, as the only current pathway to doing so is via trade.
However, McCarthy may present concerns for other top available quarterbacks, namely established veterans looking for a high-percentage chance to start Week 1.
“Questions about the Vikings’ opportunity tend to focus on three aspects of the team: the commitment to McCarthy, the offensive line play and the run game,” Lewis continued. “Until the Vikings clarify their willingness to move off of McCarthy (publicly or privately), skepticism about the likelihood of winning the job could persist.”