One Vikings Trade Sounds Dead in the Water
If your main hope this offseason was for the Minnesota Vikings to finagle a trade with the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Mac Jones, that theory is fading fast. The 49ers’ trade price for Jones is reportedly through the roof, and the purple team just doesn’t have expendable draft capital for such deals.
Minnesota may like Jones, though the price appears off track.
Jones is the current QB2 in The Bay behind Brock Purdy, and he might just stay there.
San Francisco’s Asking Price Leaves Few Logical Trade Paths
The Mac Jones offseason ideas feel kaput.
Jones’s Price Soars
The 49ers will not allow Jones to exit their facility without a hassle.
NBC Sports Bay Area‘s Matt Wirth wrote Tuesday, “The 49ers do not seem inclined to trade backup quarterback Mac Jones. That is, unless someone meets their steep asking price. San Francisco has received interest from multiple teams, but, as some interested parties around the league described to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the 49ers’ asking price for Jones is ‘astronomical.'”
“It’s unclear exactly what San Francisco’s asking price might be, but some have speculated that the veteran quarterback, who had a resurgent season in 2025 filling in for an injured Brock Purdy, could net the 49ers a second-round draft pick in a potential deal.”
And this mirrors reporting jargon consistently elevated by the 49ers’ brass over the last six weeks. If a team wants Jones, it’d better have a 2nd-Rounder in hand.
Which Teams Left to Possibly Pay?
Jones’s market — because of the faux hostage situation in San Francisco — is drying up. Perhaps the Cleveland Browns would thicken their current room that includes Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel. No one is too sure if the Browns’ new coaching staff enjoys that trio. The upcoming draft is also underwhelming in terms of quarterback talent after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Aaron Rodgers could retire, but he’s already drawn out that process for two months, which is totally on-brand for the old warhorse quarterback, soaking up every available drop of attention before making his decision — even after he claimed last summer that 2025 would be his final season.
The carousel might have spun without Jones. Ready for the update? Here goes nothin’:
Arizona Cardinals → Gardner Minshew
Atlanta Falcons → Tua Tagovailoa
Cleveland Browns → TBD
Indianapolis Colts → TBD but Probably Daniel Jones
Las Vegas Raiders → 99.9% Fernando Mendoza
Miami Dolphins → Malik Willis
Minnesota Vikings → TBD but Kyler Murray Favored
New York Jets → Geno Smith
Pittsburgh Steelers → TBD
In theory, this would leave Jones’s possible trade partners as the Browns and Steelers — or the Vikings and Colts if those clubs bungle their current offseason strategies.
It’s a complicated way of saying that Jones’s trade market is suddenly puny.
Sporting News‘ Matt Sullivan on the Jones trade sweepstakes: “If there were another Sam Darnold-esque storyline in the NFL waiting to happen, it would be with Jones. He’s proven to be a solid starter, and in the right situation, he could be a star. While the 49ers should be trying to trade him to land something valuable in return to build a better contender, they also cannot part ways with Jones for so little.”
“John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan are asking for a lot for Jones in the trade market, which, predictably, isn’t working out at the moment. Teams aren’t biting on their ‘astronomical’ trade demands. But, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes and what happens in the NFL Draft, the 49ers might be able to find a trade partner for Jones willing to spend a lot to add him in a trade this offseason.”
Break in Case of Emergency?
Of course, the Vikings still control their 2nd-Round pick and are on pace to draft a man from that round for the first time in four years. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah habitually found a way to sell his 2nd-Round pick in the last three offseasons.
Therefore, if one assumes that Rodgers retires, Murray chooses the Steelers instead of the Vikings, and Kirk Cousins takes on a bridge role in Las Vegas, for example, Minnesota could hop on the phone and dangle its 2nd-Rounder in front of San Francisco for Jones. Call it a grand fallback plan.
Still, the Vikings are recovering from four lackluster drafts in a row. Selling 2nd-Rounders from QB2s doesn’t feel conducive to team-building at the moment.
But at least Jones is available. “The Analytics,” as described by Hall of Famer Troy Aikman, claim that Jones was the NFL’s ninth-best passer in 2025. He’ll turn 28 in September.
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