The 49ers chose draft assets and flexibility over running back depth this weekend, reportedly agreeing to trade 2024 leading rusher Jordan Mason to the Minnesota Vikings.

In exchange for Mason and their sixth-round pick in next month’s draft (No. 187), the 49ers will receive the Vikings’ fifth-rounder (No. 160) and sixth-round pick in 2026, according to the NFL Network.

Mason agreed to a two-year deal with the Vikings that will pay him at least $7 million and as much as $12 million, according to multiple reports. The trade came days after the 49ers gave Mason a second-round tender as a restricted free agent.

The 25-year-old running back was the 49ers’ starter for most of the 2024 season after Christian McCaffrey missed the first two months with Achilles tendinitis in both legs. Mason rushed for 100-plus yards and a score in three of the first four games and finished the season with 789 yards on 153 attempts. He ceded the starting spot to McCaffrey in a Nov. 10 win over Tampa Bay, then both backs suffered season-ending injuries — a high ankle sprain for Mason on Dec. 1 in a snowy blowout loss in Buffalo.

The trade leaves the 49ers relying more on the 28-year-old McCaffrey, who played just four games last season and missed much of training camp with tendinitis before a late Week 1 decision to hold him out of the opener. He eventually hit injured reserve with the issue, then suffered a ligament injury in the loss to the Bills as he landed hard on his knee. He rushed for just 202 yards on 50 carries last season after being a major force in the 49ers’ run to the Super Bowl a year before.

Behind McCaffrey on the depth chart are Isaac Guerendo, who took over in the backfield late in his rookie season after Mason and McCaffrey went down; Patrick Taylor Jr., who started a December loss to Miami after Guerendo injured his leg; and Israel Abanikanda, whom they claimed off waivers from the Jets in December.

The 49ers, after starting four different running backs throughout the 2024 season, appear likely to add to that group via the draft or free agency.

Mason originally joined the 49ers as an undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech in 2022, so the trade represents more value than they spent on him initially, even as it may seem modest for a player who broke out as a starting-caliber back last fall.

Guerendo’s speed and receiving ability make him a likely primary backup after rushing for 420 yards and four touchdowns on 84 carries last season.