The Minnesota Vikings appear to have lost the JJ McCarthy trade already after he claimed the top job with the New York Giants and won his first start against the Houston Texans last week, but Minnesota may be able to flip the same pick it got for the former top-10 selection into their potential quarterback of the future.
The Indianapolis Colts began selling some of their best players on Tuesday, October 27 well ahead of the NFL trade deadline, sending offensive guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and defensive tackle DeForest Bucker to the San Francisco 49ers.
Given the Colts’ obvious willingness to part with expensive players who no longer fit their rebuilding timeline, the availability of backup quarterback Anthony Richardson goes without saying.
Minnesota isn’t incentivized to make a blockbuster QB trade at this point in the season after an undefeated start, but Kyler Murray doesn’t look like a longterm answer and might have faced a benching in the weeks to come if McCarthy was still on the roster.
Indianapolis just committed $88 million on a two-year extension for quarterback Daniel Jones coming off an Achilles injury in 2025, and while his play doesn’t bode well for a future in Indy, the team has yet to make the switch to Richardson.
Richardson is a high-risk, high-reward trade candidate that the Vikings probably wouldn’t utilize in 2026 if they acquired his services.
However, trading the fifth-round pick they got from New York for McCarthy to add the hyper-athletic signal-caller wouldn’t be an outlandish move, as the Vikings appear primed to consider new longterm QB options once Murray’s deal expires following this season.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell Likes What Anthony Richardson Has to Offer
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has an affinity for Richardson based on their on-field interaction a couple of seasons past.
A top-four pick in the 2023 NFL draft, Richardson has an elite and unteachable skill set that includes an incredibly strong arm and the ability to make plays with his legs. He is in the final season of his four-year contract worth $34 million total, and the Colts have already declined their fifth-year option on the QB for the 2027 campaign.
Minnesota is unlikely to bench Murray unless things on offense go from bad, which they currently are, to truly ugly in the coming weeks. But Richardson could offer Minnesota an alternative to backup QB Carson Wentz during what should be a playoff campaign in 2026 if everything falls apart.
If the Vikings trade for Richardson by using the fifth-rounder they picked up for McCarthy and then ink the Colts QB to a one-year extension, Minnesota will give itself options heading into 2027 when the team may need to explore new options at quarterback.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Can Provide Vikings With Options Under Center Next Season
The Vikings appear likely to pursue a quarterback in the 2027 draft, assuming Murray’s play doesn’t significantly improve in the weeks ahead.
Adding Richardson now would allow O’Connell to coach up and develop a superior athlete at the position who could either become the longterm starter down the road or serve as a stopgap solution to a rookie QB selected next April.
As such, Richardson is a viable trade target for Minnesota in the coming weeks.
Vikings Trade Pitch Secures $34 Million Kyler Murray Successor