The Minnesota Vikings just flipped quarterback JJ McCarthy for a fifth-round pick in 2027, but the team may not hold onto that asset long enough to make the connected selection.
General manager Nolan Teasley spoke to media members about the trade on Monday, September 28. And of everything he said, perhaps the most interesting bit was that the Vikings might turn the pick from the New York Giants around in an attempt to bolster the roster before the league’s November 10 trade deadline.
“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,'” according to an X post from ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.
Vikings Could Use 5th-Round Pick From JJ McCarthy Deal to Replace Injured Tight End Josh Oliver
How Minnesota might use what is most likely to be an early fifth-round asset in a strong 2027 draft class to improve the roster this season is an intriguing thought experiment, though a major injury the offense suffered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 might provide an obvious answer.
Tight end Josh Oliver suffered a torn biceps in the fourth quarter of the Vikings’ third consecutive win to begin the year, which represents a considerable loss to the team schematically and a knock to a run game that struggled in Tampa Bay on Sunday.
“Oliver does have a torn bicep and will need surgery, which will be done soon, per source,” Jeremy Folwer of ESPN reported on X Monday. “Most likely a long shot to return this year, at least for regular season.”
Vikings Need to Replace Josh Oliver With Similar Player if Possible
Oliver is the precise type of player who is gaining value across the NFL over the past two seasons due to his versatility as a block-first tight end who is also a threat to catch passes.
Adding Oliver as an inline TE to any formation — particularly 12 or 13 personnel, which call for two or three tight ends on the field, respectively — allows the Vikings’ offense the flexibility to run or pass out those formations by forcing the defense into personnel groupings that create mismatches.
Oliver has tallied 62 receptions on 80 targets for 677 yards and nine TDs in his three-plus seasons for the Vikings. However, he has inked back-to-back three-year deals worth $21 million and $23 million, respectively, based on the versatility he brings to the offense as a blocker first, in both phases of the game, and as a pass-catcher second.
Players like Oliver don’t necessarily grow on trees, though there are teams that have stacked their tight end rooms with options like him. Both the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams come to mind, though there are a few others around the league.
It would make perfect sense for Minnesota to utilize the fifth-round pick it got from the Giants for McCarthy to go out and try to get one of the higher-end two-way tight ends — assuming the Vikings can find one who is both superfluous to his current roster and perhaps on the final year of his contract, which would incentivize a rival team to make such a deal.
Vikings Drop Strong Hint That JJ McCarthy Deal Will Lead to 2nd Trade