The San Francisco 49ers can't trade quarterback Mac Jones to the Minnesota Vikings.
As the Vikings' offense sputtered around the field Monday night against the Buffalo Bills, it became clear Minnesota would need to make a change at quarterback if it wanted to take advantage of its dominant defense to try and make a run at a Super Bowl. A logical place to look for QB help would be the 49ers' roster where Jones sits behind Brock Purdy.
That's not a move the 49ers should be interested in facilitating.
The Vikings had interest in Jones over the offseason, but the 49ers' asking price was understandably high after Jones helped keep the club afloat during Purdy's battle with a toe injury that cost him eight games a season ago. Neither Minnesota nor any
other QB-needy team were willing to meet whatever price San Francisco was asking for in the offseason.
Now as the trade deadline looms at 1:00pm Tuesday the 49ers have enough information to know trading Jones to Minnesota for anything less than a Godfather offer of multiple first-round picks or some other crazy compensation is a bad idea.
As Week 9 wraps up the Vikings are one of a couple of legitimate contenders for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That top seed belongs to the 49ers at the halfway point, and it appears one of their biggest threats to that spot is without a viable option at quarterback. And with the dominance Minnesota's defense has displayed this year, even base line competence under center may be enough to lift the Vikings over the hump.
It would be a real shame for the 49ers if they were the club to provide the Vikings with that relief.
San Francisco has been content holding on to Jones knowing they have an excellent insurance policy should Purdy miss any time. They're also in line to receive a decent compensatory pick for Jones when he leaves in free agency. There's just not much motivation for the 49ers to move on, especially if moving on means solving the single biggest problem facing another NFC contender.
Perhaps the Vikings get desperate and throw a couple of first-round picks on the table to force the 49ers' hand. If they aren't making that type of offer, though, San Francisco shouldn't even consider the idea.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: NFL trade deadline: 49ers would be insane to make deal with Vikings
