SSpeculation surrounding the Vikings trading JJ McCarthy to the highest bidder has been building since Kyler Murray was named Minnesota’s starter. In fact, with McCarthy continuing to struggle to hit open receivers against the Ravens, the noise has reached a fever pitch.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler weighed in on the conversation yesterday on SportsCenter. “Is he QB2 in Minnesota or is he QB3? Because they do have Carson Wentz,” Fowler said. “So could the Minnesota Vikings field a few trade calls? A lot could happen. They have to decide what is McCarthy’s role on the team.”
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe doesn’t think it should be much of a conversation at this point. He believes the writing is already on the wall for McCarthy and Minnesota.
“I’m trading him [McCarthy] if I can,” Sharpe said. “I trust Carson Wentz more than I trust him.”
Teams Could Be Hoping JJ McCarthy Follows The Recent Trend Of QB Retreads
While no teams will hand McCarthy a starting job uncontested, a few teams are in dire need of a contingency plan at the position. Could they be looking to add a 23-year-old who was drafted in the top 10 less than two years ago? The belief is some teams would for the right price.
NFL insider Jason La Canfora mentioned the Eagles as surprise contenders in the JJ McCarthy sweepstakes last week. They previously had success renting Steelers cast-off Kenny Pickett (who had a similarly tumultuous tenure in Pittsburgh) before flipping him for a draft pick after one year in Philly. It’d be hard to blame them for thinking they could dip their toes into that pool again.
Likewise, with the QB market being rife with quarterbacks who took a few years to realize their potential, others think McCarthy could follow that same trajectory. Looking at the NFL landscape, four projected starting QBs (Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Daniel Jones, and Geno Smith) can be beacons of hope for McCarthy in his next chapter. All four players were called busts early in their careers before later realizing their potential with a new team.
With McCarthy failing to come close to his tenth-overall pick billing in Minnesota, opposing teams probably believe he could be had for a late day-three selection. A sixth-round pick might be able to get it done.
Would The Compensation Be Worth The End Goal For Minnesota?
The Vikings invested the tenth overall selection in McCarthy only two years ago. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell ironically (and potentially infamously) previously said that “organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.”
Based on that quote, Minnesota would look somewhat preposterous to offload McCarthy for pennies on the dollar after 10 career starts. Sure, it was an ugly sample size, but it was also a minuscule one.
Murray has played a full season only once since 2020. Do they feel comfortable with rolling out Carson Wentz if he goes down this year?
If they do, then they could ignore the clear hypocrisy on behalf of KOC and throw in the towel. If they don’t, then they would be much better off hoping McCarthy can learn from the sidelines and show improvement if they need him to step up to the plate. He’d have much more value in that role than whoever they’d draft with the sixth-round pick they’d receive in return for his services.
Plugged-In NFL Insider Fans JJ McCarthy Trade Flames Ahead Of 53-Man Roster Cuts