The Minnesota Vikings kept four quarterbacks on the roster through NFL cutdown day, which could say a few different things about third-year signal-caller JJ McCarthy — one of which is that the team may try to move him in the coming days/weeks for draft compensation.
“The Vikings keeping four quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster sends a strong signal to me that they think a deal can be struck to trade JJ McCarthy,” Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports posted to X on Sunday, August 30.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated offered a different take Monday.
“I have gotten the sense, for what it’s worth, that Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell wants to keep working with JJ McCarthy,” Breer wrote.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported via the Pat McAfee Show Monday that McCarthy’s ankle injury could sideline him for multiple weeks, so the regular season may arrive before the Vikings’ plans for McCarthy become clear. And, of course, those plans may be subject to change.
However, if Minnesota does decide to put McCarthy on the trade market, one team from inside the NFC North Division could be a fit for the 23-year-old quarterback.
Lions Kept Joshua Dobbs as QB2 Behind Jared Goff
The Detroit Lions kept only two QBs on the roster through the weekend.
Detroit held onto Joshua Dobbs behind starter Jared Goff after inking Dobbs quickly in the aftermath of Teddy Bridgewater’s decision to retire earlier this month.
The team gave undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer the ax on Sunday with hopes of bringing him back to the practice squad, even though Altmyer generally got more work than Dobbs with the second-team during training camp.
“The Lions are waiving rookie QB Luke Altmyer, per source,” Tom Pelissero of The Ringer reported via X. “Detroit wants Altmyer back on the practice squad if he clears waivers. But veteran Josh Dobbs will back up Jared Goff.”
If Detroit can get Altmyer back on the practice squad, that may be all the team feels it needs at the QB position before the regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints two weeks from now. However, there are other options available, including potentially McCarthy.
JJ McCarthy Can Offer Lions Talent Upgrade at Backup QB
McCarthy suffered his ankle injury during a bad outing in Minnesota’s second game of the preseason, which forced him to the sidelines for the Vikings’ final outing of August against the Denver Broncos last Friday.
In two years in the league, the former No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 draft has appeared in just 10 games (6-4), throwing for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs at a completion rate of 57.6 percent. He has also rushed the football for 181 yards and four scores.
All that said, McCarthy is a recent national champion QB with Michigan and an even more recent first-round pick. He lost his starting job to two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray this offseason before likely landing in the QB3 spot, at least in part due to injuries and a lack of availability over the past two weeks.
McCarthy has two cost-controlled years remaining on his $21.9 million rookie contract. At this point, Detroit could potentially acquire him for a Day 3 draft asset.
McCarthy is younger and more physically gifted than Dobbs, and the Lions will probably need to rely on their offense to carry them through the season considering how banged up parts of the defense remain with Week 1 approaching.
As such, a higher-upside flyer on a player like McCarthy probably isn’t the worst idea in Detroit.