Vikings Expected to Draw Some Trade Interest for Pricey Player
The Minnesota Vikings entered last offseason with one major player to watch. That man was Kirk Cousins, and his contract expired for the first time since he joined the Vikings in 2018. He always got either an extension or another year tagged on when the end was in sight.
Vikings Expected to Draw Some Trade Interest for Pricey Player
This time, however, he left the building for a final time and signed with the Atlanta Falcons. It turns out that it was a terrible decision for him to leave the Twin Cities, as he will watch the playoffs from either the sidelines or his couch.
His former franchise, meanwhile, is still competing for the first seed in the NFC with successor Sam Darnold under center. The real next guy was planned to be J.J. McCarthy, at least after a transition period with Darnold as the placeholder.
McCarthy’s injury has prevented him from taking a snap, but Darnold’s rise might have blocked the QB1 spot regardless. The veteran just keeps throwing dimes on Sunday, and the voices that request an extension for the former third-overall pick have gotten much louder.
The problem is, though, what would happen to McCarthy if Darnold was the new franchise quarterback? Well, other franchises ask the same question, thinks ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The insider expects Minnesota’s front office to be on the receiving end of some phone calls as the QB-needy teams are dealing with a draft class that lacks last year’s top talent at the QB position. The reigning national champion would be this year’s top pick, many draft pundits say.
Schefter said on Unsportsmanlike this week, “In a limited quarterback draft class, where there are far more teams that need quarterbacks than there are quarterbacks who can actually step in right away, I definitely think teams will be checking in with the Vikings to see if they have an interest in trading JJ McCarthy. Now, they may say ‘we don’t’, and that’s the end of it. But do I think teams will explore that option? Of course. Absolutely. 100%.”
Teams in the market for a quarterback are, for sure, the New York Giants and the Las Vegas Raiders. Other organizations like the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Los Angeles Rams, the New York Jets, the Tennessee Titans, the Cleveland Browns, the New Orleans Saints, and the Seattle Seahawks either have an aging QB and need to find a successor, or they might be unhappy with the current solution and want a fresh start.
McCarthy joined the Vikings with the tenth overall pick. The coaching staff has been raving about him ever since, and head coach Kevin O’Connell, who will likely have a significant voice in the QB decision, seems to love his student. He possesses a rocket arm and exciting mobility, while his winning mentality could remind folks of a different Michigan quarterback.
However, he is an unknown: a 21-year-old who hasn’t played a down in the NFL and is coming off a serious knee injury. On the other side, there’s Darnold, whose 36 touchdowns can challenge all but two QB seasons in franchise history (Daunte Culpepper twice) and all but four QBs in this year’s NFL (Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield).
The other main factor? Darnold’s new deal would cost something north of $40 million per season, while McCarthy has three years remaining of his cheap rookie contract, which would help keep the free agents on board and sign new ones.
A potential compromise could be to franchise-tag Darnold while keeping McCarthy to monitor his development in practice. The decision can be postponed to the 2026 offseason in that case.
There’s a decent chance McCarthy could indeed get the Vikings a first-round pick in return, but building around a cheap QB for the first time in a while is enticing, and the fact that O’Connell seems to be a big fan of both the rookie and the veteran doesn’t make the decision any easier.
Darnold can continue to make his case on Sunday when the Vikings try to claim the top seed in the NFC playoff picture.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt