The Minnesota Vikings washed their hands of JJ McCarthy by trading him to the New York Giants for a fifth-round pick this week, though the team might decide to use that draft capital to secure another backup in a shaky QB room.
General manager Nolan Teasley hinted at such a possibility when speaking with reporters on Monday following the McCarthy deal.
“Nolan Teasley on the J.J. McCarthy trade: ‘We got to the point where the return made sense for us now to get an asset that honestly is going to help us in the future, or maybe even this season,’” per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.
Minnesota has a starting quarterback in Kyler Murray, at least for now, and a reasonable backup in Carson Wentz who is 3-3 across seven appearances for the Vikings over the past two seasons (Minnesota is 4-3 in games that Wentz has played).
But with undrafted 2025 rookie Max Brosmer as the QB3, and both Murray and Wentz on expiring contracts, it wouldn’t be the worst move for Minnesota to lock down a young signal-caller with upside who isn’t going to play in his current situation.
Enter Jalen Milroe of the Seattle Seahawks, the team for which Teasley worked across several years before becoming the Vikings’ GM this offseason.
Jalen Milroe Unlikely to Ever Get Starting Shot With Seahawks
Teasley was part of the front office in Seattle that drafted Milroe in the third round out of Alabama in 2025.
He is just 24 years old and in only the second season of an affordable four-year rookie contract ($6.3 million total).
Milroe is a dual-threat player who threw for more than 6,000 yards and rushed for nearly 1,600 yards during his collegiate career while accounting for 78 total TDs (almost all of that production came in his final two years as the starter).
However, Milroe is playing behind starter and Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold, as well as backup quarterback Drew Lock who just led the team to two victories to open the campaign in Darnold’s absence.
Milroe is unlikely to leapfrog either Darnold or Lock, which pretty well sets his ceiling in Seattle as QB3. That is undoubtedly not the ideal situation for Milroe, and the Seahawks may be able to secure a meaningful draft asset in return for him from a team like the Vikings.
Jalen Milroe Sensible Trade Target for Vikings if Minnesota Adds Another QB
Dustin Baker of CBS Sports on Monday predicted that if Minnesota makes another move under center ahead of the NFL’s November 10 trade deadline, it will be Milroe who serves as the team’s target.
“If the Vikings make a QB move (that is not Nick Mullens) in the next month, I think my formal prediction is a 5th-rounder or so to the Seahawks for Jalen Milroe,” Baker posted to X.
Milroe has appeared in three games as a professional, all in 2025, though he has never thrown a pass and attempted just three rushes for a total of four yards gained.
Vikings Predicted to Trade for $6 Million QB as JJ McCarthy Successor