A Vikings Rival Helped Minnesota Land J.J. McCarthy
The topic of 2024 for the Minnesota Vikings has been and will continue to be the quarterback position.
From the departure of Kirk Cousins back in March, to the signing of Sam Darnold, the selection of J.J. McCarthy in the draft, and the impending battle at the QB position, this entire calendar year will circulate around the future of the Vikings’ quarterbacks.
Of course, much of that future revolves around McCarthy and his ability to lead the Vikings offense. If he pans out, Minnesota could be on the fast track towards being perennial contenders in the NFC North and the NFL on the whole.
Ironically enough, Minnesota may not have been able to land McCarthy in the first place if they did not have some help from one of their own rivals.
A Vikings Rival Helped Minnesota Land J.J. McCarthy
Back in 2022, the Minnesota Vikings had their QB situation under control with Cousins, but they were in the midst of attempting to find an answer at the tight end position. Irv Smith sprained his ankle right before the trade deadline and ultimately would miss the majority of the remainder of the season.
As a result, the Vikings turned to the Detroit Lions and made a trade to bring in T.J. Hockenson. That trade saw the Vikings send their 2023 second-round pick and 2024 third-round pick to the Lions. In return, Minnesota got Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick.
Fast forward to the 2024 NFL Draft, and that 2024 fourth-round pick ended up being the 129th overall pick in the draft. It ended up being one of three picks (joining Nos. 11 and 157) that the Vikings sent to the New York Jets in order to select McCarthy.
Now, who knows if the Vikings absolutely needed to make that trade up the board in order to draft McCarthy. The QB said following the draft that he thought the Denver Broncos would be in the mix to select him, but Broncos head coach Sean Payton has done his best to try and refute that idea in recent days.
Even if it was simply a security measure to move up the board, that selection given to the Vikings by Detroit ended up helping Minnesota snatch the player who Vikings fans are hoping can be the QB of the future and help lead the team to its first Lombardi Trophy.
It remains to be seen if that will pan out, but if it does, the Vikings will have to thank the Lions for helping get their QB in addition to a Pro Bowl tight end.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.