The reason Vikings traded for Jordan Mason has arrived thanks to Aaron Jones

Jordan Mason's moment has arrived.

This is why the Minnesota Vikings traded for him this offseason from the San Francisco 49ers.

The Vikings knew Aaron Jones may not make it through a whole season after putting up a career-high workload in 2024, and so they sought out a proven ball carrier.

Mason has already been that guy, and with Jones out in Week 3, Mason will be the bellcow.

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Jordan Mason trade details

The 49ers and Vikings made this trade on March 18:

• Vikings get: RB Jordan Mason, 2025 6th-round pick
• 49ers get: 2025 5th-round pick, 2026 6th-round pick

The 49ers used this year's fifth-rounder to take safety Marques Sigle. The Vikings used that sixth-rounder in a package with other picks to move up earlier in the draft and get wide receiver Tai Felton.

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Why did the 49ers trade Jordan Mason to the Vikings?

The San Francisco 49ers would've had to pay Jordan Mason $5.35 million this season. 

Instead, they opted to get that money off the books.

They were showing a vote of confidence in second-year RB Isaac Guerendo as the backup to Christian McCaffrey, although they eventually traded for Brian Robinson Jr. from the Commanders to be CMC's true backup.

Why did the Vikings trade for Jordan Mason?

The Minnesota Vikings wanted Mason to give them improved depth at RB.

In 2024, Aaron Jones came over from the Green Bay Packers and had a career-high 306 touches, coming in his age-30 season.

Enter Mason, who went from an undrafted player to a key contributor to the 49ers. He has already worked out very well for Minnesota.

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