Jordan Mason DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

The Minnesota Vikings acquired running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday and signed him to a two-year deal with over $7 million fully guaranteed at signing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The maximum value of the deal is for $12 million. The Niners placed a second-round tender (worth $5.3 million) on Mason, who was a restricted free agent, but he'll now head to the NFC North, where he'll serve as the backup to Aaron Jones. San Fran also sent the 187th pick in this year's draft in exchange for the 160th pick in the draft and a sixth-round pick in 2026. The 25-year-old was one of the best waiver-wire pickups in fantasy a year ago after taking over for Christian McCaffrey as the Niners' lead back. He had 789 rushing yards and three TDs on 153 carries in 12 games (six starts) before ending the year with an ankle injury. Mason won't have much standalone fantasy value in 2025 but will be a fine handcuff for those that roster Jones.

The San Francisco 49ers placed a second-round tender on restricted free-agent running back Jordan Mason on Tuesday, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The second-round tender is worth over $5 million, so it means that Mason will most likely return to the Niners in 2025 as the backup to Christian McCaffrey (knee). However, with Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor Jr. also in the fold, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 25-year-old traded this offseason. Mason missed the last five weeks of the 2024 season with a high-ankle sprain, but before that, he was a waiver-wire darling in fantasy football after taking over for the injured McCaffrey as San Fran's lead back. He had a career year with 153 carries, 789 rushing yards and three touchdowns while adding 11 catches for 91 yards through the air. If Mason isn't traded, he'll be a popular handcuff option for those that take the risk with CMC as an RB1.

The San Francisco Standard's David Lombardi writes that San Francisco 49ers restricted free-agent running back Jordan Mason (ankle) has been drawing trade interest around the league after rushing for 1,253 yards on 5.3 yards per carry over his first three years in the league. The 49ers can tender the 25-year-old an offer that includes a right of first refusal ahead of the new league year next Wednesday. It would make sense for the Niners to place a second-round tender ($5.3 million) on Mason with the value of RBs potentially on the rise. Lombardi points out that the team has twice traded away a RB for a fifth-round pick, so Mason could be dangled with Christian McCaffrey (knee) coming back in 2025 and with Isaac Guerendo also on the roster. Mason had 789 rushing yards and three TDs on 153 carries in 2024 but missed the final five games with an ankle injury. His path back to fantasy relevance makes more sense outside of San Fran.