With starting QBs getting hurt in Week 2 and others playing subpar, there’s been trade speculation regarding Minnesota Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy. The Washington Commanders have lost Jayden Daniels, while the New York Giants have lost Jaxson Dart to injury.
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons have had poor play from the QB position to start the season. As a result, could any of these teams look to improve in the coming weeks if their situation doesn’t change?
Now that Kyler Murray is back after clearing the NFL’s concussion protocol, McCarthy will go back to being QB3 with Carson Wentz being the back. So, could there be a possibility where the Vikings do trade McCarthy or at least listen to offers?
The Ringer’s NFL insider Tom Pelissero shared his update on the outlook for a trade involving McCarthy.
“You do have J.J. McCarthy,” Pelissero said during a Sept. 23 appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “That one’s probably a little bit different, where Minnesota has Carson Wentz there. He was [QB2] going into the season.
“I don’t know that they’re really all that concerned necessarily, even though Kevin O’Connell said over and over, ‘We’ve seen we need three, if not four, quarterbacks here.’ But there’s a price at which I believe that they would be willing to move on from J.J. McCarthy.”
J.J. McCarthy Could Make Sense for Giants This Season
On the Sept. 23 edition of “Get Up,” host Mike Greenberg noted that the Giants would be better off having McCarthy on their roster, with Dart’s season now over as he’s going to undergo season-ending knee surgery.
“J.J. McCarthy, in theory, could come to the Giants, play well, and then have trade value somewhere else,” Greenberg said. “He could still be Jaxson Dart’s team. J.J. McCarthy would have to play really well for you to start considering, well, maybe we actually consider him over Jaxson Dart.
“That would be a better problem to have than I’m staring at 15 unwinnable games… I’m not moving on from Jaxson Dart if I’m the Giants. I think that kid is fantastic.”
Do Falcons Make Sense as Destination for J.J. McCarthy?
Recently, Minnesota Vikings on SI’s Adam Carlson put out a couple of destinations for McCarthy; one of them is the 0-2 Falcons.
On Sept. 21, Atlanta named Michael Penix Jr. its starter for the Week 3 game against the Green Bay Packers. Nonetheless, if he doesn’t impress, it could be time to look at external options to salvage their season, and that is where McCarthy could come in.
“Tagovailoa and Penix are interesting quarterbacks when they are healthy, but neither one should be trusted to play a full season,” Carlson wrote in a Sept. 20 article. “Rush doesn’t provide the depth needed to win games and hasn’t led a team to a win as a starter since he left the Cowboys after the 2024 NFL season.”
Last season, in what was technically his rookie season after missing all of the 2024 campaign, McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games, per StatMuse.
Vikings Get Insider Update on J.J. McCarthy Trade Outlook