49ers trade top rusher Mason to Vikings in exchange for draft assets
On the same day the 49ers brought back a longtime member of their backfield in Kyle Juszczyk, they reportedly agreed to send away another major figure in their rushing offense.
The Niners are trading Jordan Mason, their top rusher in 2024, to the Minnesota Vikings just days after giving him a second-round tender as a restricted free agent, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday.
In exchange for Mason and their sixth-round pick in next month’s draft (No. 187), the 49ers will receive the Vikings’ fifth-rounder (No. 160) and sixth-round pick in 2026.
Mason agreed to a two-year deal with the Vikings that will pay him at least $7 million and as much as $12 million, according to multiple reports.
The 25-year-old running back was the 49ers’ lead rusher for most of the 2024 season after Christian McCaffrey missed the first two months with Achilles tendinitis in both legs. Mason rushed for 100-plus yards and a score in three of the first four games and finished the season with 789 yards on 153 attempts. He ceded the starting spot to McCaffrey in a Nov. 10 win over Tampa Bay, then both backs suffered season-ending injuries — a high ankle sprain for Mason — Dec. 1 in a snowy blowout loss in Buffalo.
The trade leaves the 49ers relying more on McCaffrey, who played just four games last season. Behind him on the depth chart are Isaac Guerendo, who took over in the backfield late in the season after Mason and McCaffrey went down; Patrick Taylor Jr., who started a December loss to Miami after Guerendo injured his leg; and Israel Abanikanda, whom they claimed off waivers from the Jets in December.
The 49ers, after starting four different running backs throughout the 2024 season, appear likely to add to that group via the draft or free agency.
Mason originally joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022, so the trade represents more value than they spent on him initially, even as it may seem modest for a player who broke out as a starting-caliber back last fall.