The Minnesota Vikings need to add a veteran quarterback this offseason.
The jury is still out on J.J. McCarthy following his first full season as a starter after he was the biggest reason the Vikings missed the playoffs in 2025.
At the very least, the Vikings need someone to compete with McCarthy, but they may also opt to replace the Michigan product all together, as ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports “all bets are off” when it comes to McCarthy’s future with the team.
In an article suggesting trade proposals, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell offers up a possible deal that would send San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones to the Vikings.
Here’s the proposal and some of Barnwell’s thoughts on it:
- 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)
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.
Jones managed to revive his career with the Niners in 2025 while he filled in for an injured Brock Purdy. Jones completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards and 13 touchdowns to six picks and posted a 5-3 record as a starter.
Jones would be exactly what the Vikings are looking for.
Not only can he push McCarthy, but Jones could very well supplant the former No. 10 pick and provide the upgrade the Vikings need to get back to the playoffs. And Jones is still young enough at the age of 27 that he could be a long-term solution.
That said, it remains to be seen if the Niners will actually trade Jones.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan has said he envisions Jones being on the team in 2026, and even rumors suggest that isn’t posturing and the Niners are seriously considering keeping the former No. 16 overall pick.
But we tend to believe that if the Niners get a good enough deal — like the one that Barnwell suggests here — they will part ways with Jones.
