49ers fans frustrated as team trades last season’s rare positive, RB Jordan Mason, to Vikings – “That is a horrible return”

The San Francisco 49ers got rid of their best rusher in 2024, Jordan Mason, by trading to the Vikings, angering the fanbase.

49ers fans frustrated as team trades last season’s rare positive, RB Jordan Mason, to Vikings – “That is a horrible return”

Jordan Mason (Image via IMAGO)

The San Francisco 49ers fans aren’t happy to see Jordan Mason getting traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Mason had a breakout year in 2024 and quickly rose the ranks as a fan favorite in the Bay Area.

After the 49ers announced that the 2023 NFL OPOY Christian McCaffrey was out of commission due to his bad knees, the starting running back job transferred to Mason. The undrafted free agent hit the ground running, recording at least 100 yards in his first four starts of the season.

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The undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech more or less cemented his place as the backup to CMC in the Niners fans’ eyes or even a possible starter if the Pro Bowler failed to recover in 2025. Unfortunately, the 49ers brass harbored a different plan and traded Jordan Mason on Saturday to the Minnesota Vikings for a sixth-round pick, No. 160, this year and a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

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49ers fans vent their frustration after Jordan Mason got traded to the Vikings for a sixth-round pick

John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan continued the spring cleaning in the free agency on Saturday by decreasing the level of personnel in the running back room. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Niners put a second-round tender on Mason, essentially promising $5.3 million in 2025. It also meant if they traded him, the 49ers would receive a second-round pick return.

49ers fans frustrated as team trades last season's rare positive, RB Jordan Mason, to Vikings - "That is a horrible return"
Jordan Mason (Yahoo Sports)

The Niners fans lost their wits after hearing that they received a sixth instead of a second. Moreover, a few hours before the announcement, they re-signed veteran fullback Kyle Juszczyk to a 2-year, $8 million contract, whom they released at the start of this week.

A section of the fans was unable to wrap their heads around why the 49ers would choose Juszczyk over Mason, who is almost eight years younger than him. Sports Illustrated’s 49ers beat writer Grant Cohn led the charge with a passionate rant.

Juszczyk will turn 34 in April. As a receiver, he scares no one. As a running back, he’s a fumbler who can’t be trusted even in short yardage. And as a blocker, he has regressed significantly since his 20s. So whenever he’s on the field, someone better has to come off of it.

Grant Cohn wrote

Football fans on the internet too had some choice words for this order of things.

Cohn and Juszczyk share bad blood between them, but SI contributor words make sense considering Lynch during the scouting combine assured that they will cut down the average age of the roster.

Fans should give Lynch and Shanahan the benefit of the doubt. The 49ers didn’t get a sixth, rather a fifth round pick, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco.

Correction: The 49ers gave up their sixth-round pick (187) and acquired the Vikings’ fifth-round pick (160) as part of the trade for RB Jordan Mason. The 49ers now have two fifth-round picks. The other came from Washington in the Deebo Samuel trade.

Matt Maiocco wrote on X

Then whatever happened to the second-round tender placed on Mason? According to David Lombardi, the Niners did not put a tender or Mason didn’t take it similarly to Jauan Jennings. In 2024, the 49ers placed a tender on the wide receiver, but Jennings decided to opt for a new contract, and he signed a two-year deal before minicamp.

NBC’s Matthew Berry spoke with a lot of people at the combine about Mason’s future and discovered several NFL teams showed interest in him.

There’s actually been a lot of trade inquiries about [Jordan] Mason. Don’t be surprised if Jordan Mason, who proved he could be a legit starting RB in the NFL last season, gets dealt.

Matthew Berry wrote

The 49ers still have a running back room of McCaffrey, Patrick Taylor, and Isaac Guerendo. Additionally, they have multiple third round picks (75 and 100) in 2025 which they can use to draft another running back.

The Vikings offense is taking shape

Mason is walking into a great situation in Minnesota. He will play as the backup to Aaron Jones, who signed a two-year, $20 million extension with the Vikings after recording 255 carries for 1,138 rushing yards and 13 overall touchdowns.

However, Jones’ struggles with injuries are not a secret. The Vikings would hope Jones can cap off a similar season in the new campaign, but Mason is a great backup to have.

Their offense is loaded with the likes of Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison leading the charge on either side of the field and tight end TJ Hockenson, acting as a battering ram through the middle. That only leaves the quarterback, and believe it or not, it could be Aaron Rodgers and not JJ McCarthy.

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