ESPN Shares a Vikings Trade Proposal
ESPN has floated a specific quarterback trade idea for the Vikings — and it involves a familiar reclamation name. With uncertainty still surrounding J.J. McCarthy, the proposal adds another layer to Minnesota’s rapidly evolving QB search. The club is widely expected to add a quarterback to the room, either via trade or in free agency.
The list of potential targets is long, but Bill Barnwell’s proposal zeroes in on 49ers backup Mac Jones. The veteran is ready to compete for a starting role and that’s just what the Vikings need.
ESPN’s Barnwell analyzed what a package for Jones could look like. In his proposal, the Vikings get the passer and a 2027 3rd-rounder in exchange for the 2nd-rounder in April’s Draft, as well as two conditional picks — a 2027 5th-rounder and a 2028 3rd-rounder.
He explained why the franchise is looking for another signal-caller in the first place, “The Vikings can’t afford to leave J.J. McCarthy an uncontested path to their starting quarterback job again in 2026. He was a disaster for most of the season, and though he put together a better stretch to end 2025, that four-game run came against the Commanders (who were 30th in EPA per play against pass dropbacks), Cowboys (31st), Giants (17th, in a game where McCarthy threw 14 passes) and Packers (21st, McCarthy was facing second- and third-stringers for most of the game).”
Indeed, McCarthy’s struggles (on the field and with injuries) are well documented. Barnwell added that the Vikings need another QB option.
Though he showed some growth towards the end of the season, it’s fair to wonder how much of an impact the level of defenses he was going up against had. Also, the sample size was quite small, with only two full games and two first halves. The Vikings cannot risk another lost season and need to find insurance in case of continued struggles or injury.
The analyst continued, “Jones posted a 62.3 Total QBR during his lone season with the 49ers, coming in a little more than 10 points behind Brock Purdy’s 73.0 mark. Jones is due just $4.7 million in 2026, which will be the final year of his contract. And of course, we know that the Vikings have been willing to take a swing on quarterbacks who have gone through the Kyle Shanahan rejuvenation cycle before, having signed Sam Darnold after the now-Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.”
Jones showed starting-caliber flashes in a limited but efficient role. He couldn’t deliver that in New England, but the coaching and the roster around him were highly questionable. In 2024, he backed up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville and received some playing time and he kept the season alive for the 49ers when Purdy missed eight games in 2025.
Barnwell generally goes into detail rather than just scratching the surface on contract and trade questions. That’s why it’s fascinating to see him come up with fair compensation for Jones.
He added his commentary on the conditional picks he proposed, “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.”
That is a lofty price for a backup quarterback. In case he works out, the Vikings would send one 2nd-rounder and a pair of 3rd-rounders. They would get a 3rd back. Even if he’s providing low-end starting-caliber play, the Vikings could be on the hook for that. It’s not like the bar for starting 12 games next year and another one in 2027 is crazy high in the Twin Cities.
“If Jones spends just 2026 backing up McCarthy, the 49ers swap only the Day 2 picks;” Barnwell concluded. “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.”
Unfortunately, the 49ers have all the leverage in the situation. They have Jones under contract for another season and having possibly the best backup quarterback in the NFL isn’t a bad thing by any means. They could just ride it out and fetch the compensatory pick when he’s leaving in free agency in 2027, while having the luxury of keeping the season alive once again in case of a Purdy injury.
If Minnesota truly wants legitimate competition for McCarthy, a controllable 27-year-old with first-round pedigree fits the profile — but only if the front office is comfortable paying starter-level draft capital for what is still, at this stage, a projection rather than a proven solution.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.