Earlier this week, the Minnesota Vikings found a way to trade right guard Ed Ingram to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick. They used that capital to fortify the roster for the 2025 season on Saturday night at the end of the first wave of free agency.

The Vikings have acquired running back Jordan Mason and pick 187 in the sixth round from the San Francisco 49ers for pick 160 in the fifth round and a 2026 sixth round pick.

Vikings trade for RB Jordan Mason

The Vikings have been one of the most active teams in free agency this year along with the trade market. They are still trying to trade center Garrett Bradbury, who are planning to release him if they can’t find a buyer.

Mason, 25, was an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022. He was the complement to Jahmyr Gibbs for the Yellow Jackets and thrived in that role. In limited production during his three year National Football League career, Mason has been a monster, rushing for 1,253 yards on 236 carries (5.3 YPC) with seven touchdowns. The Vikings got a good look at Mason in week two this past season where he ran for 100 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown.

Mason profiles more as a power back while thriving in Kyle Shanahan’s wide zone offense. For the Vikings, he gets a two-year contract with over $7 million guaranteed to be the complement for Aaron Jones.

This means multiple things for the Vikings. Acquiring Mason allows the Vikings to not have to draft a running back to immediately contribute, as RB2 was arguably their biggest hole that wasn’t addressed yet. Mason and Jones will be the 1a and 1b for the Vikings.

The second thing is with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s strategy in the NFL Draft. He has made it a major focus during his tenure to eliminate dire needs so the ycan maintain as much flexibility as they can when they make their selections. They have two very talented running backs and won’t feel pressured to take one early.

Is that the best strategy in this draft class with a phenomenal group of running backs? You can easily argue that it’s not, but it also doesn’t prevent them from taking one early. They don’t have to force it and can just worry about acquiring talent. 

Is it the right move? That’s a fair question, especially with a 27 selection drop-off on day three with part of their trade. However, this was a pick that the Vikings didn’t have before and they saved $3.4 million on the salary cap to acquire Mason, most of which is likely going right to him with his new contract.