San Francisco 49ers Snag JJ McCarthy From Minnesota Vikings In NFL Mock Trade

Things have cooled off a bit since the new NFL league season opened up last month, but we expect things to pick back up as we race towards the start of the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There is sure to be another flurry of trades before, during, and even after the draft. One player who could be on the move is Minnesota Vikings quarterback JJ McCarthy.

The former first-round pick has now been relegated to the backup role in Minnesota after the signing of Kyler Murray in free agency this offseason. 2025 served as his redshirt rookie year after he missed his entire rookie season with an injury back in 2024. After a disastrous campaign, in what couldn't have been more favorable circumstances, the Vikings are likely looking to move on from their mistake.

McCarthy was not a good prospect coming out of college and should have never been selected as a top 10 overall pick, but even mediocre quarterbacks can thrive in Kevin O'Connell's offense, throwing to Justin Jefferson. That wasn't the case for McCarthy, who was awful. Still, after being drafted so high, there is sure to be someone who will take a chance on him for a Day 3 pick or as part of a package.

San Francisco 49ers - Minnesota Vikings Mock Trade

San Francisco 49ers Receive

QB - JJ McCarthy

Fourth Round Pick

Minnesota Vikings Receive

QB - Mac Jones

Fantasy Impact

If things go well for the 49ers, McCarthy will have no fantasy impact because that means starting quarterback Brock Purdy remained healthy. However, if he were to go down with an injury, it would be a disaster for all their pass-catchers if McCarthy were the backup.

Jones would likely compete with Murray for the starting job in Minnesota. A competition we'd expect him to lose. Nevertheless, he would provide a much safer fallback plan for Jefferson and the rest of the Vikings offense should Murray be forced to miss time. Again, having McCarthy as your starting quarterback is catastrophic for the pass-catchers.

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The San Francisco 49ers

Kyle Shanahan is a guy who could think that he could get the most out of a former 10th overall pick and fix him. At least to the point that he's a serviceable backup. Similarly to what he did with Jones.

It makes a lot more sense for San Francisco to get what they can for Jones at the peak of his value rather than keeping him as a backup and letting him walk after this season. We have heard reports that they want a second-round pick for Jones, which isn't going to happen, but a fourth, and McCarthy is still a good deal.

Why The Trade Makes Sense For The Minnesota Vikings

Getting rid of McCarthy is an addition by subtraction. It also makes sense to bring in competition for Murray, who is not a lock to pan out. He is viewed as clearly better than Jones, and rightfully so, but there is a reason he was cut by the Cardinals and the Vikings were able to bring him in for next to nothing.

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