Running back Jordan Mason has agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal with the Minnesota Vikings after getting traded away by the San Francisco 49ers, a league source confirmed Saturday. The deal includes $7 million guaranteed.
The Vikings are sending a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to San Francisco, according to a team source, and the teams will swap 2024 picks as well. Minnesota now has pick No. 187 while the 49ers have No. 160.
Mason was San Francisco’s primary running back for the first two months of the season while star rusher Christian McCaffrey was out due to tendonitis in both Achilles. Though Mason missed the final five games of the 2024 campaign due to a high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 13, he accumulated 789 yards and three touchdowns on 153 carries.
The 25-year-old, who was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech, is entering his fourth NFL season after spending three years in San Francisco. The 2024 season was his most productive by far, as he nearly quadrupled his number of rushing attempts per game compared to his previous two years.
Why did San Francisco let Mason go?
In an offseason in which they are pinching pennies, it was hard to see the 49ers paying a backup running back $5.35 million for one season, the cost of the second-round tender. Instead, they dealt Mason for what is essentially a late-round draft pick. That’s also what they did in 2020 with Matt Breida. They put a second-round tender on him, then later sent him to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round pick that they eventually used on right tackle Colton McKivitz.
Mason was the team’s leading rusher last year, opening the season as the 49ers’ starting tailback due to McCaffrey’s Achilles issues. And perhaps not coincidentally, Mason ran for 100 yards against Minnesota in Week 2. But he also got hurt late in the season, giving his backup, rookie Isaac Guerendo, a chance to shine.
Guerendo’s emergence likely convinced the 49ers he could serve as McCaffrey’s primary backup in 2025. The depth and talent at running back in next month’s draft also may have eased the 49ers’ minds about moving Mason. There are several runners, including Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson and Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, who look like particularly good fits for San Francisco. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer
#49ers‘ draft picks for 2025:
1st round, No. 11
2nd round, No. 43
3rd round, No. 75
3rd round, No. 100
4th round, No. 113
4th round, No. 138
5th round, No. 147
5th round, No. 160
7th round, No. 227
7th round, No. 249
7th round, No. 252— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 16, 2025
Why would the Vikings acquire Mason?
The Vikings prefer young players who have upside. Position does not matter. Mason is 25 years old, and although the Vikings paid Aaron Jones last weekend, they don’t want him to have to shoulder the workload Jones carried last year.
Mason thrived in a similar 49ers system, predicated on zone runs involving cutbacks. Mason is also big enough to execute more gap scheme concepts, which coach Kevin O’Connell has dabbled with in recent years.
The Vikings had competition for this move. Hence, the two-year deal is worth $7 million guaranteed. Now, though, the Vikings pair two serviceable backs together. They added experienced insurance for Jones, who navigated multiple injuries last season. And they fortified an offense that will be one of the most vaunted in the NFL with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. This move does not prevent Minnesota from drafting a running back, but the Vikings won’t have to force anything come April. If a player they prefer falls to them, they’ll take a shot — but this move prevents desperation. — Alec Lewis, Vikings beat writer
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(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
