49ers Could Fetch Shocking Trade Return for Mac Jones From Vikings, Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan are developing quite the reputation a quarterback career revival specialists.

Two seasons ago, the team signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal to backup Brock Purdy. The former No. 3 overall pick started one game and appeared in four more. He played well enough to earn the starting job the following season with the Minnesota Vikings.

Darnold had a career year, throwing for 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with a 102.5 passer rating. He parlayed that into a massive $100 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

This season, he’s currently second in the NFL in completion percentage (70.2), seventh in passing yards (2,541) and passer rating (105), and 10th in touchdowns (17).

And now, it appears the 49ers have done the same for Mac Jones.

After being cast off from the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones has undergone a renaissance in San Francisco. Filling in for Purdy for most of the season, Jones has played like a Pro Bowler, going 5-3 as the starter.

He’s thrown for 2,151 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions with a career-high 97.4 passer rating. Most analysts believe because Jones’ performance, he’ll draw significant trade interest this offseason.

What Kind of Trade Package Could Mac Jones Fetch?

If the 49ers were to make Jones available this offseason, the assumption is enough teams would be interested that they’d have to at least consider a trade.

Jones is under contract next season for a modest $4.2 million, which could be appealing to a handful of teams.

But what kind of return could the team realistically get for the 27-year-old QB? Well, SI.com’s Albert Breer believes Jones could fetch a high enough draft pick that a deal might make enough sense for the 49ers to pull the trigger.

“Could the Niners get, say, a Day 2 pick in 2026 and maybe a conditional Day 3 pick in 2027 for Jones? It’s not out of the question,” Breer wrote.

Given his age, Jones may not be as appealing to teams like the Cleveland Browns or New York Jets. Both teams will have high draft picks and likely want to draft a young franchise QB. A cost-controlled rookie contract is likely more appealing to both franchises than paying Jones a starter’s salary.

Potential Landing Spots for Jones

GettyThe Arizona Cardinals have been named a team to watch regarding a Mac Jones trade

Should Jones be made available after the season, it’s believed several teams will be interested in acquiring him.

The list of QB-needy teams heading into the offseason is quite large. Jones could be in play for several teams including the Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans Saints.

However, Breer believes there’s three teams to really keep an eye on.

“I’d look at teams such as the Vikings, Dolphins and Cardinals (the latter pending any potential coaching changes),” Breer wrote. “In the case of Minnesota, it’d be a way to bring in competition for J.J. McCarthy and provide a layer of insurance at an affordable rate for a loaded roster, should McCarthy not ascend through the rest of this season.

“In the case of the other two, Jones would be an affordable scheme fit that could help those teams detach from expensive quarterbacks who have one year left of heavy guarantees.”

MLB Insider Drops Bold Owen Caissie Prediction For 2026

The Chicago Cubs have a pretty incredible player developing in the farm system for what seems like far too long: outfielder Owen Caissie. Caissie's opportunity to join the majors has been hindered due to a stacked outfield that included Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kyle Tucker. But more opportunities should arise in 2026.

There is plenty of speculation about Tucker's future with the team, which appears fairly bleak. Tucker is going to require whatever team picks him up to spend a pretty penny, and arguably, the Cubs should not be the ones to do it after his performance this year.

With the veteran likely departing, this will give the opportunity for Caissie to step into a more permanent role with the club, which feels long overdue. Caissie might have made his debut this year, but it wasn't for very long despite helping the team overcome the Milwaukee Brewers in a five-game playoff series.

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Now, with the likelihood of Caissie stepping onto the field with a heavier workload for the Cubs, there is one MLB insider, JIm Callis, who has rightfully named the 23-year-old a candidate for next year's National League Rookie of the Year.

"I've always been a big Owen Caissie fan. I pound the table for him whenever we're doing rankings. He's always been very young for his league. He's always produced. He repeated Triple-A -- which I don't see as a negative because he was 22 years old when he repeated it -- and hit 41 homers at Triple-A over the past two seasons," said Callis.

Caissie in Professional Baseball Thus Far

At 18 years old and fresh out of high school, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres, but a few short months later, Caissie was dealt to the Cubs, who had shown a great deal of interest in the top prospect before that 2020 draft.

David Banks-Imagn Images

After spending five seasons in the Cubs' farm system, he has emerged as their (arguably) No.1 prospect, which makes him a near shoo-in for the 2026 opening day roster. He worked his way to Triple-A and spent both 2024 and 2025 there. And in that time, he has been more than impressive.

226 games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs

• .282 Batting Average
• .381 On-Base Percentage
• .512 Slugging Percentage
• .893 OPS
• 237 Total Hits
• 57 Doubles
• 5 Triples
• 41 Home Runs
• 130 RBI
• 128 Drawn Walks
• 16 Stolen Bases

If Caissie looks anything like he did in Triple-A the past two seasons, then he could easily be in contention for the lucrative Rookie of the Year title.

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