J.J. McCarthy quarterback Minnesota Vikings
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 04: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings looks to pass during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings are looking for a new quarterback – in news that is very, very well known and heavily documented.
And one of those options is current San Francisco 49ers backup QB, Mac Jones. Jones showed out very well in 2025, starting 8 games in lieu of the injured Brock Purdy, going 5-3 in the process.
Jones threw 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions with a completion percentage of 69.6% for an impressive passer rating of 97.4 – the highest single season rating of his career to date, including his Pro Bowl rookie campaign.
As the former 15th overall pick is under contract through 2026, the Vikings would have to trade for him. And it seems like, per general manager John Lynch – speaking to reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday – that compensation would need to be substantial in order to get Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan to agree to part ways with him.
Vikings Would Need ‘Fairly Strong’ Offer to Obtain Mac Jones
“He’s really good for us and we value that.” Lynch said, per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. “And so somebody would have to come with something fairly strong for us to consider (trading him). And then I don’t know what we do. Obviously there’s always something that would make you (do it), but I think we’re a better team with him on it and we just like having him around.”
With Brock Purdy’s injury history – he missed the bulk of the NFC Championship Game at the end of the 2022 season, missed two games in 2024 due to a shoulder and elbow problem, and was on the sidelines for 8 games this past year due to a shoulder and toe issue – it would no doubt be prudent to keep Jones, as one of the top backups in the league, around for as long as they can.
Shanahan does seem to have a gift to get the most out of almost any quarterback he works with, from Purdy to Jones to Jimmy Garoppolo, but there is no guarantee he will find another excellent backup in free agency or the draft if the 49ers do decide to trade the ex-New England Patriot.
What Would It Take For the Vikings to Acquire Jones?
The amount that Minnesota would need to give up in order to acquire Jones is not totally clear. Although Vikings have more draft capital than in recent years past, where they were often missing mid-round picks aplenty, that does not necessarily mean that they will hasten to move off them without strong due consideration.
Something in the vicinity of a third round pick feels the general ballpark area where negotiations would go. Jones has played well, but at this point in time he is not set for a massive $30 million/year deal like the Green Bay Packers‘ Malik Willis, so a compensatory late third rounder in 2028 is far from guaranteed, yet still possible.
The difference in getting that pick two years earlier, and it being in the mid-third round (82), rather than somewhere around the 97-100 spot could be enough to get the deal done. But the front office will have to think long and hard as to whether Jones is worth that sort of draft capital.