Possible Vikings QB Target Says He Should Start
The Minnesota Vikings are widely expected to acquire a quarterback in the offseason as competition for J.J. McCarthy. The identity of that fallback option is anyone’s guess, but Mac Jones is a name that has been mentioned in Vikings conversations. He seemingly wants to put the backup duties in the rearview mirror.
This week, Jones talked to the media after the postseason loss against the Seattle Seahawks. He described that he wanted to revive his career in San Francisco and feels like he has already accomplished that in year one.
“I’m on a two-year deal,” Jones said, “but I believe I’m a starter in this league, and I’m excited to continue to get better this offseason and see what happens. In a way, I had two good seasons in one. I had a season as a starter, kind of, and a season as a backup. It was just so fun to get, like they say, the train back on the tracks. That’s what I wanted to do. I put a lot of good film out there.”
Last offseason, Jones signed a two-year contract worth a total of $7 million. The former first-round pick was hired to be the backup for starter Brock Purdy. The QB1 suffered a nagging toe injury and Jones ultimately appeared in 11 games, starting eight of them.
His numbers certainly look like those of a starter. He completed 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Jones also ranked 9th of 30 eligible quarterbacks in EPA/Play, while PFF graded him 15th of 38. With him as the starter, the 49ers went 5-3.
That’s the level of QB play the Vikings hoped they could get out of J.J. McCarthy in his first season, but they were disappointed. Because his development is a question mark going forward and there are some injury concerns given that he has only started and finished eight games across two seasons, the Vikings need someone like Jones in the room with him.
In last week’s season-ending presser, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was asked if he wants McCarthy to start. He said, “I want the Vikings to achieve our goals. And I think one of those goals is to make playoff runs. I think he has the character and ability to be the person to do that. If I say that in 2026, that kind of binds us into a certain area.”
“The way we’ve set this team up, we built this core like we’ve always talked about, [to] give ourselves multiple shots at it, because you never know when there’s going to be a year where the field feels a little bit wide open and you can make that run. Whether it’s this year or next year isn’t really my immediate reflection. It’s my job to really bring that deep competitive group that we’ve talked about.”
Jones fits that bill. Because Jones signed a two-year deal last offseason, he remains under contract through the 2026 season. Any move would require the Vikings to convince San Francisco that a trade makes sense for all parties involved.
On Wednesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan commented, “You always listen to people with trade offers. We’re also not into getting rid of good players, so I’d be very surprised if Mac wasn’t around us next year.”
Usually, every player has a price.
Jones, 27, was once viewed as Tom Brady’s successor in New England, but he flamed out after three seasons. The Jaguars brought him in ahead of the 2024 season, and he started seven games in Jacksonville while Trevor Lawrence was dealing with injuries.
The passer is an intriguing player for everyone without a clear quarterback solution for the 2026 season. Whether the 49ers would actually entertain meaningful trade offers remains one of the more fascinating quarterback questions of the offseason.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.