Lousy Trade Partner Floated for J.J. McCarthy

Because Kyler Murray appears to be the runaway frontrunner to win the Minnesota Vikings’ QB1 job this summer, some NFL-themed media outlets believe Murray’s competition, J.J. McCarthy, could be traded.

A to Z Sports sized up landing spots for McCarthy, landing on the New York Jets as the wisest option from the Vikings’ standpoint.

Vikings QB Plan Still Points toward Keeping the Young Passer

A to Z Sports Lands on Jets as Top McCarthy Trade Partner

Rob Gregson led the charge for McCarthy to the Jets, writing, “Jets receive: J.J. McCarthy. Vikings receive: 2027 5th-round pick (conditional pick that rises to a 3rd with 70% snaps played). Let’s be honest, the New York Jets aren’t going to field a very competitive team in 2026, or at least not on the offensive side of the ball.”

“After his career resurgence in Seattle, Geno Smith has regressed to the mean over the past couple of seasons, including a year to forget in Vegas last year. Even if he recaptures the magic of his 2022-2023 campaigns in Seattle, Smith turns 36 in October.”

New York also has rookie passer Cade Klubnik in the mix.

Gregson continued, “The Jets are searching for their quarterback of the future, and they are well-positioned to do so in the 2027 class with three 1st-rounders. But why delay the process? Let’s say you trade for J.J. McCarthy, he wins the backup job, and then at some point during the season, you turn to him. Now, let’s say he plays well.”

“Suddenly, you have a bridge quarterback at the very least, if not a long-term backup. Plus, you will still have all of your premier draft capital, because McCarthy isn’t fetching anything close to a 1st-rounder. A low-risk, high-reward proposition for the Jets here.”

The panel at A to Z Sports also mentioned the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals as trade partners but settled on the Jets as the smartest: “Vikings should select trade proposal from Jets. There are two things at play here: getting proper draft capital back for McCarthy, but also getting him an opportunity to potentially be a starting quarterback somewhere.”

“The Dolphins offered the best package from a guaranteed draft pick standpoint, but the Jets offering a condition on the fifth-round pick to improve it into a third-round pick, while only having Geno Smith in his way makes it the smartest move.”

Destined to Fail?

The Jets — especially right now — would not be the best situation for any quarterback, especially McCarthy, who must hone his consistency to catch on as a long-term starter. Foremost, he’d be trapped in a QB2 role behind Smith because, for some reason or another, the Jets just love Smith.

McCarthy would also have Klubnik breathing down his neck, notable because the current front office regime hand-picked him in the draft a month and a half ago.

And — it’s the Jets. How many times in recent memory or NFL history has New York hosted a successful redemption story — or a long-term quarterback at all? McCarthy could hand the ball off to Breece Hall and sling it to Garrett Wilson and Kenyon Sadiq, but the Jets aren’t the dream setup for the youngster.

The only thing he might have going for him, down the road, is playing time.

Vikings Likely to Keep McCarthy

Minnesota’s 2025 quarterback strategy faced a critical flaw: a lack of viable alternatives. The Vikings could have retained Sam Darnold after a 14-3 season. They could have brought in Daniel Jones for another year or pursued Aaron Rodgers. They could even have eased McCarthy into the starting role, making his rookie year smoother.

Instead, they bypassed these options and immediately entrusted McCarthy with the starting position, accepting the consequences. He didn’t fully excel, and the Vikings missed the playoffs. By February, their quarterback situation was back to square one.

And this is where Murray becomes a pivotal addition. He provides the Vikings with something they lacked last year: a genuine Plan B. McCarthy can still earn the starting job, but so can Murray. Minnesota is no longer forced to put all its hopes on a single young quarterback to develop under pressure.

While this doesn’t guarantee perfect quarterback play — nothing does — having two strong contenders for QB1 is a significant improvement over relying on one uncertain prospect.

Given Murray and McCarthy as long-term possibilities, trading the younger player makes little sense. Two of the last three Vikings seasons have been derailed by quarterback injuries. It would be unwise to discard a quarterback option so soon.

Chargers Make Most Sense Otherwise

Suppose McCarthy is traded. The Chargers are the one spot that makes sense — because of Jim Harbaugh. He nurtured McCarthy at Michigan and seems to “get him.” The two won a National Championship together in 2023.

Of course, McCarthy would sit behind Justin Herbert, and he won’t surrender the QB1 job. But Herbert has missed five games in the last three seasons. Perhaps living under Harbaugh’s tutelage would work wonders for McCarthy. Any time Harbaugh is asked about McCarthy, he just raves about him.

Generally speaking, a McCarthy trade is unlikely to come to fruition this summer unless he demands one.

Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker