Even the NFL Website Throws Gas onto J.J. McCarthy Trade Rumor Fire

Right now, the noise around the Minnesota Vikings and J.J. McCarthy has grown very loud. Many believe that a trade is a realistic outcome. The conversation has grown so raucous that even the NFL’s website has jumped into the mix.

Kevin Patra pulls off the ambitious task of constructing a piece that details trade candidates for all of the NFL’s teams. Consider his lonely trade candidate for the Vikings: “I don’t believe the Vikings outright cut McCarthy, but if anyone calls about a trade, the Vikings should jump at the chance to move the third-year QB. Despite what Kevin O’Connell has said, I think the club would trust Carson Wentz more than McCarthy as QB2 in the event Kyler Murray goes down. The former No. 10 overall pick caddying as QB3 could present some issues.”

The NFL Website Jumps into J.J. McCarthy Trade Chatter

Look around the internet. Finding speculation about where things are going for McCarthy in Minnesota isn’t going to be too difficult.

Earlier in the week, Jeff Diamond (the Vikings’ GM from 1991-98), wrote about McCarthy: “With [McCarthy’s] lackluster play in these first two preseason games (seven drives with no points produced, albeit with the No. 2 offense) and Carson Wentz performing better, it’s opened the door to media speculation on who should be QB2 on opening day against the Packers on September 13.”

There’s then Tom Rudelius. Not a former NFL executive, Rudelius is a certified numbers nerd who dug into comparable trades from recent history to arrive at an approximation for what Minnesota could get back in a swap.

“To begin, if the Vikings want to trade McCarthy, now is probably the time. The former Michigan QB has two years left on his contract, and it’s not outlandish to think that some other team might want to take a chance on the young QB,” Rudelius writes.

And then a firmer guess on what could come over to Minnesota: “On the other hand, it’s hard to imagine that McCarthy could net more than a 5th Round pick at this point. Part of the reason why the price for former 1st Round QBs has dropped in recent years is probably because none of the QBs in the table above have brought any meaningful value to the team that traded for them.”

To be clear, what’s included above is plenty of speculation and conjecture. Some analysis and insight gets sprinkled into the mix but there aren’t any updates so far to suggest that Minnesota is shopping the kid to the NFL’s other teams.

What is known, though, is reasonably ample.

J.J. McCarthy got drafted at No. 10 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. Snagging him followed a small jump up the board. He has since played in just ten of a possible thirty-four games due to various injuries. When he has been available, McCarthy has overall played poor football while demonstrating potential. The GM responsible for making the selection, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, is no longer employed as the Vikings’ GM. Kyler Murray is now the QB1.

Part of the problem with trading out McCarthy is that the NFL isn’t going to offer anything close to fair value. Think a Day 3 draft pick(s) rather than something that gets anywhere close to being a top-ten selection.

Maybe the best comparable of recent history is Trey Lance, an athletically-gifted quarterback who went to San Francisco but who was plagued by injury and inconsistency. The 49ers sent him packing for a 4th. Would a team such as the Chargers (coach connection) or Jets (QB starved) take the gamble at that price? Would the Vikings accept?

According to Over the Cap, Minnesota’s cap would see close to $2.8 million saved with a trade.

J.J. McCarthy, 23, is preparing for the Denver Broncos preseason game. That contest will take place on Friday, August 28th. Teams will then move from 90 players to 53 by August 30th.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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