Mac Jones Sends Clear Message as Vikings QB Questions Linger
The Minnesota Vikings are in the market for a quarterback that can compete or even replace J.J. McCarthy, who’s set to enter his second healthy season in the NFL. There have been countless names connected to the Vikings and in theory, many of them make sense. A common passer linked to the job is Mac Jones.
Jones, still under contract with the San Francisco 49ers through the 2026 season, is ready to start somewhere, he emphasized during Super Bowl week. Barring injury, he won’t get that chance in San Francisco, so a move is required.
The question he and the interested teams now have to ask is whether he’ll get that chance. Jones knows the deal:
“Honestly, it’s a business. You know how this goes,” Jones said. “I’ve proven I can be a starter. I’ve proven I can be a starter in multiple different spots. I have 50-plus starts or whatever. I know how to do it, but it’s also a business. I understand both sides of it.”
The 2021 1st-rounder had a phenomenal rookie season with the Patriots, but his play dipped in the following years. Some strange decisions in the franchise didn’t help him. Then, he backed up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville in 2024 and moved to the 49ers during last year’s free agency, serving as the alternate to starter Brock Purdy.
In that one season, he started eight of the 11 games he appeared in, completing 69.6% of his passes for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. In the previous year, he had a TD-INT ratio of 8-8 in Jacksonville.
Jones added, “If you’re a quarterback that’s a free agent or could get traded or whatever your situation is, you want to go somewhere that fits and makes sense. At the end of the day, that’s what I want in San Francisco. We’ll see what happens. It’s good to be talked about.”
Though he doesn’t possess elite physical tools, Jones has shown that he can be a reliable, steady quarterback in the NFL and that’s just what the Vikings need.
“It’s definitely motivating for me. I feel I can do that. I have my swag back, and I feel like that’s important for me. I can go out there and win games for whoever.”
A fascinating aspect is that he went through the Kyle Shanahan backup QB school. Sam Darnold went the same route in 2023 before exploding in 2024. Jones sees the similarities.
“Everyone’s journey is so different,” Jones commented. “I feel like I’ve watched him in interviews, and he does say that learning from Kyle and Brock really changed his career. I see why now. I’ve learned so much this year. I know Sam probably felt the same way (in his one year in San Francisco). You can see it on the tape, there’s a lot of crossover.”
Indeed, Darnold has stressed numerous times that he had learned a lot under Shanahan and his scheme and staff. With the Vikings, Jones would also have some talented players to throw the ball to and the franchise also employs a head coach who meshed well with Darnold.
One obstacle is, of course, that Jones signed a two-year deal last offseason and the 49ers could just opt to keep him on his cheap contract. He showed in his first campaign with the organization that he can keep the operation alive if Purdy is out, going 5-3 in his starts.
A reasonable expectation would be a Day 2 pick to go the other way in a trade.
Jones has started 57 games in his career and he has been productive in decent offenses and stable situations. The smart quarterback could be a nice fallback option for the Minnesota Vikings. He’s 27 years old.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.