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The San Francisco 49ers may not be looking to trade quarterback Mac Jones this offseason, but it’s hard to imagine their reported desire to keep their backup signal caller will keep them from at least fielding calls.
A slew of teams could use a functional starter this offseason and Jones proved to be one last season while going 5-3 across eight starts for San Francisco. He has one year remaining on the two-year deal he signed with the 49ers last offseason. After quarterback Sam Darnold won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks and credited his year in San Francisco for his career turnaround, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see teams try to replicate that success with Jones.
We asked around the NFL Wire network to find out which teams had the need under center and the draft capital to perhaps swing a deal that would entice the 49ers to let go of Jones. Given his inexpensive deal and what they could get next year with a compensatory pick if Jones leaves, it stands to reason the 49ers will require either a Day 1 or 2 draft pick, multiple selections, or some combination of those.
Minnesota Vikings writer Andrew Harbaugh reached out and mentioned the Vikings could be on the hunt for some stability under center after second-year quarterback JJ McCarthy’s up-and-down season.
“The Vikings need Mac Jones, or any viable backup, because J.J. McCarthy has shown he cannot be trusted right now,” Harbaugh wrote. “The firing of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has opened the door for whoever comes in not to be attached to him, so why not bring in a live backup like Mac Jones? If they do not, and they roll with say McCarthy and Carson Wentz in 2026, they signal to everyone they are punting on the year.”
After a 9-8 finish despite their QB woes it would make sense that the Vikings would want to run it back with a better option under center to see if they could compete in a very tough NFC North.
Here’s what Harbaugh’s offer from the Vikings looked like:
- Vikings receive: QB Mac Jones
- 49ers receive: Round 3 pick (No. 97 overall), Round 5 pick (No. 161 overall, via Philadelphia)
This meets the criteria the 49ers may be looking for, and it’s particularly enticing since they have neither their own fifth-round pick, nor a sixth-round pick. Having that extra fifth to go along with their projected compensatory selection would give them a good amount of Day 3 capital to use in trades up earlier in the draft. It would also give them some flexibility to trade back and acquire more Day 3 picks without having to completely exit a full round of the draft.
Harbaugh told us the Vikings are flush with picks so moving a couple to find an upgrade at quarterback wouldn’t be an issue.
“The team is projected to have more than 10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, with compensatory picks coming in like water at Niagara Falls,” Harbaugh wrote. “They will be able to offer a better package than most because they will not be out of any picks in those rounds in reality.”
If the best offer on the table is a a third and a fifth in this year’s draft the 49ers would be hard-pressed to pass. They need to hit on a couple of picks and adding two more chances to find a star-caliber player at a position of need will hold more weight than holding onto a quality QB behind Purdy.
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