Mac Jones mock trades: Vikings, Dolphins among four landing spots for 49ers QB
A look at some trade packages San Francisco may be able to fetch for Mac Jones
The NFL has seen a number of instances in recent years where once highly touted quarterbacks turned castoffs have revitalized their careers and become high-level starters for various organizations. No greater example comes to mind more than Sam Darnold, as the former first-round pick in 2018 just led the Seattle Seahawks (the fifth team he's played for) to a win in Super Bowl LX. Along with Darnold, the likes of Daniel Jones, Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith are some other recent examples of quarterbacks who have resurrected themselves.
And could Mac Jones be next up?
After flaming out with the New England Patriots, who selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Alabama, Jones has bounced around the league, first making a stop with the Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently playing for the San Francisco 49ers. In both instances, Jones was the primary backup but found himself with an opportunity to start for the Niners last season with Brock Purdy sidelined due to injury.
Over his eight starts in 2025, Jones led San Francisco to a 5-3 record, while completing 69.6% of his passes, averaging 268.9 passing yards per game, and registering a passer rating of 97.4.
That strong play has now boosted Jones' reputation back up to the point where teams are expected to call San Francisco this offseason in hopes of prying him away to make them their starter. But what could a Jones trade actually look like? Below, we'll dive into four landing spots and detail what sort of compensation they may need to give up to land the 27-year-old quarterback.
What could Mac Jones fetch on the trade market?
Any team looking to trade for Jones will likely need to be prepared to pay a pretty penny. When asked about the possibility of moving their backup quarterback, 49ers GM John Lynch told reporters at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine that it would take a "fairly strong" offer for the team to consider a trade.
"He's really good for us, and we value that," Lynch said, via ESPN. "And so somebody would have to come with something fairly strong for us to consider (trading him). And then I don't know what we do. Obviously, there's always something that would make you (do it), but I think we're a better team with him on it and we just like having him around."
There are two things to take away from Lynch's comments. First, they aren't just going to give Jones away, as it'll take a sizable offer. Second, and most notably, he didn't shut the trade talk down, so there is a price where they'd be willing to move him. That's a bit of a different tune than a prior report from ESPN earlier this offseason that noted the Niners have no plans to trade Jones, so there may have been some movement in San Francisco's line of thinking.
"Fairly strong" is somewhat of an ambiguous characterization for what San Francisco is looking for in return for Jones, so let's try to figure out a more specific asking price using some prior trades as a bit of precedent.
Geno Smith (34 years old at the time) traded from Seahawks to Raiders (2025):
- Seahawks received: 2025 third-round pick (No. 92 overall)
- Raiders received: Geno Smith
Carson Wentz (28 years old at the time) traded from Eagles to Colts (2021)
- Eagles received: 2021 third-round pick, conditional 2022 second-round pick (ultimately turned into a first-rounder)
- Colts received: Carson Wentz
Sam Darnold (23 years old at the time) traded from Jets to Panthers (2021)
- Jets received: 2021 sixth-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2022 fourth-round pick
- Panthers received: Sam Darnold
Jimmy Garoppolo (25 years old at the time) traded from Patriots to 49ers (2017)
- Patriots received: 2018 second-round pick
- 49ers received: Jimmy Garoppolo
If we're being honest, it's hard to find a perfect comparison to base a potential Jones trade off of. For starters, he's on a remarkably team-friendly contract, making him very easy to absorb from a salary cap standpoint. While he'll likely seek a revised deal if he is acquired by a team that wants to make him their starter, Jones is currently on the books for just $1.4 million in base salary for 2026 and has a salary cap hit of merely $3.07 million. That improves his value tremendously, and the 49ers are wise to that, further bolstering the price.
It's also worth noting that if San Francisco simply keeps Jones for 2026 and lets him walk away in free agency next offseason, they could be in line for a compensatory pick that's as high as a third-rounder in 2028. With that in mind, the Smith trade of a year ago doesn't seem to be a deal that would get the 49ers to bite. That trade fetched the Seahawks the 92nd overall pick at the draft last year. If Jones commands a third-round compensatory pick, it could land in the same range, just inside the top 100.
Meanwhile, most teams in need of a quarterback this offseason have first-rounders who are too valuable to trade in a deal for Jones, and the 2027 NFL Draft is expected to be a loaded class. So, we probably won't see any clubs be willing to throw out a top pick even under the conditional basis.
The most comparable trade could be the one that involved the 49ers back in 2017, when they shipped a second-rounder to the Patriots in 2017 for Garoppolo. A premium Day 2 pick is probably what we can theorize for Jones this offseason, given his brief resurgence in 2025, his favorable contract, and the weak QB class both at the 2026 NFL Draft and in the free agent/trade market.
1. Minnesota Vikings
- 49ers receive: 2026 second-round pick (No. 49 overall), conditional 2027 fourth-round pick
- Vikings receive: Mac Jones, 2027 fourth-round pick
The Vikings are in a precarious position at quarterback. They let Darnold walk last offseason to elevate 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to QB1, and it blew up in their face. That helped lead to the firing of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and leaves McCarthy's status up in the air.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, executive vice president of player personnel Rob Brzezinski said the team isn't ruling anything out when it comes to their options at quarterback this offseason. Meanwhile, head coach Kevin O'Connell was a bit more ominous about McCarthy when asked Tuesday if he was still viewed as a franchise quarterback.
"A lot of those feelings are still the same," he said. "It's just the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was [in 2024]."
Bringing in Jones could effectively spell the end of McCarthy's run in Minnesota, but given how talented the rest of the roster is, it may be worth seeking a quarterback who is more ready to compete right now. The 49ers would get their "fairly strong" asking price by landing a second-rounder inside the top 50 this spring, and could recoup the fourth-rounder they attached to Jones for 2027 with that conditional fourth-rounder. In this hypothetical trade, the fourth becomes a third if Jones plays 80% of the offensive snaps next season.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
- 49ers receive: 2026 second-round pick (No. 53 overall)
- Steelers receive: Mac Jones
This deal is a little more straightforward as it's a simple player-for-pick swap, reminiscent of that Garoppolo trade in 2017. The Steelers are once again in a QB conundrum as they await word on whether or not Aaron Rodgers will come back for a second season in Pittsburgh or opt for retirement. In the event that Rodgers returns, that would effectively eliminate them from contention in any sort of Jones trade. Under that scenario, Pittsburgh likely wouldn't bring in Jones in a backup role as the heir apparent to Rodgers, nor would Jones likely want to do that either. The Steelers would probably address their long-term quarterback needs either in the 2026 NFL Draft or in some capacity next offseason.
If Rodgers walks away now, however, Jones could make sense. They were a playoff team in 2025, so Jones wouldn't be walking into a locker room that is rebuilding, albeit with a first-year head coach in Mike McCarthy at the helm. Pittsburgh also has $44.9 million in available salary cap space, so they could not only figure out a long-term deal with Jones this offseason, but also have enough room to continue adding pieces.
3. New York Jets
- 49ers receive: 2026 second-round pick (No. 44 overall)
- Jets receive: Mac Jones, 2027 third-round pick
How desperate are the New York Jets to find a quarterback? The franchise has endured 10 straight under-.500 seasons and is fresh off a 3-14 campaign in 2025 that saw them finish last in the AFC East for the seventh time in the last decade. For a minute, it looked like their quarterback issues would be solved after landing the No. 2 overall pick. However, after Oregon's Dante Moore decided to go back to school, there is now no viable option for them to take at that spot. That could force them into the trade market for a player like Jones, and, depending on the urgency the Jets regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey feels, they could be willing to make a splash.
If they dangled the 33rd overall pick, the 49ers would have to pounce, but that seems unlikely. However, the Jets do have another second-round pick they received from the Dallas Cowboys that sits at No. 44 overall. That would certainly be premium enough to catch the attention of John Lynch, and could give them some stability at quarterback if Jones carries over the momentum from last season to the Big Apple.
4. Miami Dolphins
- 49ers receive: 2026 third-round pick (No. 75 overall), conditional 2027 third-round pick
- Dolphins receive: Mac Jones
The Dolphins have started to rip the roster down to the studs this offseason, moving on from players like Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb. They are also seemingly set to part ways with Tua Tagovailoa, but it'll come at a tremendous cost. At the moment, the team is looking at $99.2 million in dead cap money with Tagovailoa for 2026, meaning they'll need a cheap option at quarterback if/when they cut ties. That's where Jones slides in quite well with his minuscule $3.07 million salary cap number for next season.
Given their cap constraints and the No. 11 overall pick not projected to have any viable quarterback options available to them at the moment, dealing for Jones could be the most prudent option, even if that means parting with multiple draft picks. For the sake of diversifying these mock trades, we'll forgo Miami giving up the 43rd overall pick in the second round. Instead, the Dolphins will send San Francisco their top pick in the third round (No. 75 overall) along with a conditional third-rounder in 2027 that improves to a second-round pick if Jones plays 80% of the offensive snaps next season.
Jones would also make sense in Miami's new offensive scheme under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, who comes from the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, so Jones should be able to transition somewhat seamlessly.
