Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah exploited the market with Jordan Mason trade which will have a huge impact on a Super Bowl run
When the Minnesota Vikings decided to make a trade on Saturday night for a running back, it felt very weird. They acquired running back Jordan Mason and pick 187 from the San Francisco 49ers for pick 160 and a 2026 sixth-round pick that they acquired from the Houston Texans for right guard Ed Ingram. The […]
When the Minnesota Vikings decided to make a trade on Saturday night for a running back, it felt very weird. They acquired running back Jordan Mason and pick 187 from the San Francisco 49ers for pick 160 and a 2026 sixth-round pick that they acquired from the Houston Texans for right guard Ed Ingram. The Vikings immediately gave Mason a two-year extension worth up to $12 million with $7 million guaranteed.
It seemed like an odd trade because they had just given Aaron Jones a two-year deal worth up to $20 million and the running back class is very deep. However, this seems to be another instance of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah trying to exploit another market inefficiency.
Jordan Mason is a potentially elite value
Mason, 25, is entering his fourth year in the league after being an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech. He was the thunder to Jahmyr Gibbs' lightning for the Yellow Jackets in college and rose up the ranks with the 49ers.
His former teammate in San Francisco, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, spoke to the media on Wednesday and had a really good synopsis on who Mason is as a player.
"He really knows how to bring his pads. I mean, we learned in camp, even when Christian (McCaffrey) went down last year, when Jordan filled in for Christian, we knew it wasn't gonna be no drop-off. Because Jordan a pretty good back, real good back, and like I said, if you don't like to tackle, if you don't like that physicality, you're gonna be in for a long day."
Hargrave got a chance to see Mason every day in practice, but it was likely the game he played against the Vikings that sold them on Mason. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah loves to find different ways to exploit the market. He did so with tight end Josh Oliver two years ago by paying a blocking tight end in Josh Oliver and seems to be doing so with Mason.
NFL teams are not investing in RB2 at a high dollar amount and only 11 of them were on a second contract. Some of that is due to the influx of running backs coming into the league, but it's not a position that general managers usually prioritize. There are ways to find advantages and this could be one for the next two years.
Before we get to that game, let's take a look at what Mason has done so far in his three-year career.
- 236 carries
- 1,253 yards
- 5.3 YPC
- 7 touchdowns
- 50.4% success rate
- 14 receptions
- 122 yards
He doesn't have a lot of production in his career, but there also hasn't been a ton of opportunity for him to play. In fact, Mason only had 83 carries before the 2024 season. Theoretically, there is a lot of tread on his tires.
That's important for a player like Mason. A stoud 5'-11 and 223 lbs, he is known as a bruiser that thrived in Kyle Shanahan's outside zone scheme. One of the areas he definitely excelled at was forcing missed tackles. He was better than the entire National Football League in this area, including Saquon Barkely, at forcing a missed tackle on 37.3% of his rushing attempts
What's really impressive about that number is that Mason did it playing for Shanahan. When you watch the tape, his offense opens up some gaping holes for the running back to to through, which is a massive advantage for any running back.
The real catalyst for the trade does likely come from the Vikings facing Mason in week two as mentioned earlier, and his performance was excellent.
Mason thrives in outside zone concepts, something the Vikings run frequently. They don't just run outside zone stuff, as they shifted this past season to running more duo. He can do a little bit of everything for you, especially with his size and frame where he breaks a lot of tackles.
He has this ability to slalom through the defense similar to an edge rusher bending the arc. It's an impressive ability for a guy his size, and an important one to have. Mason pairs it with really good vision in the open field, understanding when to hit creases and how to maneuver through them.
This is a great example of just that from Mason.
The real intrigue with Mason doesn't just come with his vision, it comes with his powerful, stout frame as it's proven true with how often he forces missed tackles. Mason pairs his powerful frame with really good pad level and contact balance to power through arm tackles and continues eating up yards.
The Vikings haven't had a running back who can eat up yards on zone rush concepts while powering through tacklers. It's a great complement to what Jones brings. I mean, watch how Mason carries defenders with him to get extra yards.
The Vikings haven’t had this in a while
— Tyler Forness (@therealforno.bsky.social) March 18, 2025 at 1:45 PM
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Arguably, his best trait is his footwork. Everything is smooth with Mason. He keeps his feet moving at all times and slaloms through holes with great body control. In an outside zone based scheme, good footwork and vision are the keys to success. He has both in droves.
The footwork and vision from Jordan Mason are outstanding
— Tyler Forness (@therealforno.bsky.social) March 19, 2025 at 9:53 PM
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Now, that's not to say that Mason is perfect. He does have the right amount of burst to thrive in any scheme, but there isn't a next gear to take runs to the house. He struggles to hit anything more than a double. Even so, that's still a valuable asset to have on your roster.
The duo of both Jones and Mason is going to be a valuable one for head coach Kevin O'Connell and they got him essentially for nothing. That's an impressive move by Adofo-Mensah. Get excited Vikings fans, they got a good one for next to nothing.
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