Who could replace J.J. McCarthy on the Vikings? San Francisco 49ers QB linked to Minnesota

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is a college football playoff national champion, but his chances for the NFL playoffs have seemed negligible. In 2024, he won the Rose Bowl Offensive MVP, but his rookie NFL season was marred by injuries [even before it began]. He could not play in his first season because of a complete meniscus tear in his knee. Surgery put him on injured reserve. Super Bowl LX winner Sam Darnold took his place. In the 2025 season, McCarthy returned but was again sidelined by injuries: a high ankle sprain, a concussion, and a small hairline fracture in his throwing hand. Carson Wentz took his spot and did his level best. Now, the Vikings need to rethink their quarterback situation, especially after letting Darnold go to the Seattle Seahawks, where he won a Super Bowl.To give Minnesota a boost, PFSN’s Ryan Guthrie has suggested San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Mac Jones, the one who filled in for Brock Purdy in 2025. Purdy suffered a lingering toe turf injury, the same injury that kept QB Joe Burrow from playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in the very same season. Anyway, Purdy’s absence in 49ers allowed Jones to appear in 11 games, make 8 starts [3 backup appearances], and finish with a record of five wins and three losses for the 49ers.Now, Guthrie thinks there should be quarterback competition between McCarthy and Jones for the starting role at Minnesota this offseason. McCarthy’s PFSN NFL QB Impact Score is 65.4, ranking him No. 37 in the league and labeling him a well-below-average signal caller. His team finished 9-8 in 2025 despite a dominating defense.Mac Jones’ role could be to boost McCarthy in training camp and serve as valuable insurance for the CFP national champion, who is prone to injuries. If Jones wins the QB battle, he could elevate the Vikings back into NFC contention. Jones is a two-time CFP national champion and a first-round 15th overall pick from the 2021 batch of the New England Patriots. The Patriots were a Super Bowl LX contender.As a substitute for Brock Purdy, Jones completed 201 of 289 passes for 2,151 yards, with 13 touchdowns, six interceptions, and a career-high passer rating of 97.4.Jones signed a two-year, $8.4 million contract with the 49ers in 2025, keeping him with the team through 2026. According to Spotrac, he is set to earn a $2.8 million base salary, a $1.4 million signing bonus, a $100,000 workout bonus, and will carry a $3.9 million cap hit with a $2.7 million dead cap value for 2026.In early Feb., ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the 49ers do not plan to trade Jones and intend to keep him as No. 2 behind Purdy in 2026. But ESPN's Nick Wagoner reported in late Feb. that Minnesota Vikings could be in the market for a quarterback [like Mac Jones].49ers general manager John Lynch gave a stern response on Jones' future: "He's really good for us and we value that. 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 like having him around. As we saw this year, your franchise guy [Brock Purdy] goes down, and it's nice to have someone like that."