Insider Suggests MN Vikings Target Change in Scenery at QB

There’s only one main mission for the Minnesota Vikings this offseason and it’s a major renovation of the quarterback room. Two offseasons removed from their first round swing on J.J. McCarthy during the 2024 NFL Draft, and the 2023 National Champion has yet to earn the trust of coaches, teammates or fans.

So now, the MN Vikings are leading the QB pursuit yet again this offseason, though this time around Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is not leading the charge.

Instead, it’ll be head coach Kevin O’Connell and longtime Vikings executive, Rob Brzezinski running the show, after Kwesi was fired two weeks ago — a dismissal that may or may not have been dictated by defensive coordinator, Brian Flores.

Mac Jones worth Vikings trading pick haul?

What the Minnesota Vikings wind up doing at quarterback is still anyone’s guess. One trade option who’s been tied back to KOC & Co. a bunch is 49ers backup, Mac Jones, who still has one year left on his deal in San Francisco.

According to Bill Barnwell (ESPN), that’s the route the Vikings should go. In his latest piece for ESPN, Barnwell has Minnesota dealing a 2nd (2026), 4th (2027) and 3rd (2028) for Jones and a 3rd (2027).

The Deal:
Vikings get: QB Mac Jones, 2027 third-round pick
49ers get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 fifth-round pick (conditional), 2028 third-round pick (conditional)

This would be sort of a complicated trade, but the Vikings would be adding a quarterback who showed some of his former upside in San Francisco. 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 Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.

Bill Barnwell – ESPN

The San Francisco 49ers hit gold when they drafted Brock Purdy 262nd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, rending quality backups since a bit of a luxury. Sam Darnold came to MN from SF. This offseason, Mac Jones is their latest QB trade chip, though the Niners claim they aren’t interested in dealing him.

Last season Jones played in 11 games (eight starts) for San Francisco. He completed a career-best 69.6% of his passes and carried a 13/6 TD/INT ratio. That looks much more like the quarterback that was previously promising for the New England Patriots, and Kevin O’Connell needs that guy if this would work.

Minnesota Vikings picks hold different meaning now

Without a doubt, this is a premium haul for a guy like Mac Jones, who failed to succeed in New England and was never seen as an elite talent coming out of college.

Minnesota has eight overall selections, but five of them are in the fifth round or later. Giving up a second round pick would leave the Vikings in a tough spot for a team that needs to get younger.

Rather than swing a trade involving significant draft capital for a largely unproven commodity, they may be better off exploring the open market. Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers could both fit that bill.

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