The NFL world was eating lunch on Monday when the news broke that the Minnesota Vikings are trading J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants.
McCarthy was the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Two years later, he’s gone.
The Giants wanted McCarthy because they just lost QB Jaxson Dart for the season with a knee injury.
Jameis Winston led the Giants to a Week 3 win, and they’re now 2-1, so they’re looking at this season with some belief.
The Vikings clearly decided to cut their losses on McCarthy, and for fans of the Indianapolis Colts, it’s an interesting move.
The Colts haven’t done the same thing with Anthony Richardson, who was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
If they decided to do so now, they have a comparison point.
J.J. McCarthy Trade Cost
Reports indicated that to get McCarthy, the Giants sent a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Vikings.
That’s it.
Values decline fast in the NFL, and that’s part of the reason that trading a QB in name of revival is so difficult.
The Vikings surely had to convince themselves that getting a fifth-round pick for a guy they drafted just two years ago in the 10th overall slot was OK.
It would be the same for any team making such a move, like the Colts with Richardson.
It’d be fair to justify the Colts holding Richardson if the best offers they got a year ago (when he like McCarthy was in his third NFL season) were just a fifth-round pick or worse.
It also points out another negative outlook as far as a Richardson trade for the Colts.
Anthony Richardson Issue
Compared to McCarthy, the current version of Richardson is likely worth even less.
That’s because Richardson is in his fourth year, not his third. He’s a free agent at the end of the season.
Anyone trading for Richardson now would be doing so to at least get an up-close look at him and see how he might fit in potential future plans, but nothing would be guaranteed beyond the 2026 season.
So if McCarthy in year three is worth a fifth-round pick, what’s Richardson worth in year four?
If all the Colts could get for their legitimate backup QB is a sixth- or seventh-round pick, it’s understandable that they haven’t pulled a trigger on a deal.
If the season got away from them where they no longer were competing for a playoff spot, maybe the QB2 role becomes less important and they make a deal anyway.
But at the moment, the Giants were in need of a QB and went to the Vikings for McCarthy rather than to the Colts for Richardson. That’s pretty telling, as well.
J.J. McCarthy Trade Cost Reveals Colts’ Anthony Richardson Decision