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Kevin Seifert
The Minnesota Vikings continued their active offseason Saturday night by acquiring running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners will receive a 2026 sixth-round pick in the trade and swap picks with the Vikings in this year’s draft, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. San Francisco will receive pick No. 160 and Minnesota will get pick No. 187, sources said.
Mason has also agreed to terms with the Vikings on a two-year deal with $7 million fully guaranteed and a maximum value of $12 million, his agents, Jason and Michael Katz told Schefter.
Mason, 25, gives the Vikings a young veteran running back to pair with starter Aaron Jones, who last week agreed to return to the team on a two-year, $20 million deal. Jones set career highs in touches (306), carries (255) and offensive snaps (700) last season, however, and the Vikings had prioritized finding him backfield partners who could share more of the load.
Over the span of seven days, the Vikings have either re-signed or acquired 12 players in an attempt to bolster a team that finished the 2024 regular season with a 14-3 record but was knocked out of the playoffs in the wild-card round. Jones and Mason will benefit from a much bigger — and more expensive — offensive line that includes new center Ryan Kelly and new right guard Will Fries. Kelly and Fries each signed multi-year deals that totaled $107 million.
Mason emerged last season as the Niners’ lead back with starter Christian McCaffrey out because of an Achilles injury to open 2024. In his first extended stint in that role, Mason was one of the league’s top rushers.
Mason racked up a career-high 789 yards on 153 attempts with three touchdowns in six starts. He finished the year on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain that cost him the final five games of the season.
San Francisco placed a second-round tender on Mason earlier in the week, guaranteeing him $5.3 million in 2025 before he agreed to the extension with Minnesota.
Originally an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022, Mason earned a roster spot through special teams but averaged 6 yards per carry and 5.2 yards per attempt in limited opportunities in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
With Mason headed to Minnesota, the Niners figure to again be in the market for running back depth. The current depth chart features McCaffrey, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. with McCaffrey and Guerendo both recovering from knee injuries.
ESPN’s Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.
