Getty Quarterback J.J. McCarthy of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings still have three healthy quarterbacks remaining on the roster following news of J.J. McCarthy’s injury, but that doesn’t mean they won’t add a fourth.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said as much in a special press conference on Tuesday, August 13, during which he announced that the rookie QB is bound for the operating table after suffering a meniscus tear against the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday’s preseason opener.
“We’re going to take a look at it,” O’Connell said of pursuing another quarterback. “As we move forward on the plans for either practice or the preseason games, that may be something we need to do.”
If Minnesota decides to go in that direction, the question then becomes who the team will target. A handful of quality names remain on the open market, including the likes of former Pro Bowler Ryan Tannehill.
But Sam Darnold already had the inside track on the starting job in Minnesota before McCarthy was injured, and the latter could return at some point in the relatively near future — certainly before the end of the season. As such, the cost on a player like Tannehill may not prove the soundest investment (Spotrac projects his annual value at nearly $8 million).
A different approach would involve the pursuit of a trade with a team carrying one too many quarterbacks as it is. The Cleveland Browns and their fourth-string signal-caller Tyler Huntley, formerly a Pro Bowler with the Baltimore Ravens (2022), fit the bill.
Browns Likely to Trade Tyler Huntley at Some Point in August
GettyQuarterback Tyler Huntley of the Cleveland Browns.
Huntley inked a one-year deal with the Browns this offseason that pays him just shy of $1.3 million, which means Minnesota could fit him under its salary cap with ease.
He should also prove highly acquirable in the coming weeks after Browns’ second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson showed out in his first preseason action on Saturday to the tune of 14-of-18 passing for 134 yards against the Green Bay Packers. With Deshaun Watson and Jameis Winston occupying the QB1 and QB2 spots, respectively, Huntley is a luxury that the Browns may well prefer to turn into draft compensation for 2025.
Michael Lewis of the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show projected Huntley’s trade value as perhaps a sixth- or seventh-round pick on Tuesday following a discussion in which the program’s hosts emphatically stated their collective belief that Thompson-Robinson is now clearly the No. 3 guy in the Browns’ quarterback room.
Huntley has 20 games of NFL experience and is 3-6 as a starter. He has amassed 1,957 passing yards, 8 TDs and 7 INTs with a 64.6% completion percentage during his career, and has tallied 115 rushes for 509 yards and 3 scores.
“Huntley … was perfectly adequate as Lamar Jackson’s backup with the Baltimore Ravens recently,” David Kenyon of Bleacher Report wrote on August 4. “Huntley should be a prime target if [a significant injury] occurs somewhere during training camp.”
Vikings Must Decide if Adding Tyler Huntley Is Worth Letting Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall Go Down the Line
GettyQuarterback Nick Mullens of the Minnesota Vikings.
Minnesota’s decision on whether to pursue a fourth quarterback — Huntley or otherwise — will come down to a few things, including if the team believes in Nick Mullens as a viable backup and what it considers Jaren Hall’s future with the organization to be.
Mullens played in five games for the Vikings last season and started three. He whipped the football around the field, completing 67.6% of his passes for 1,306 yards and 7 TDs on just 148 attempts. However, he also threw 8 INTs and hit the bench for a brief time in favor of Hall after leading Minnesota to an 0-3 record.
The Vikings selected Hall in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft, which represents a significant investment that most teams don’t give up on after only one season. Hall got a couple of chances as rookie due to injuries, but suffered a concussion himself in Week 9 and played poorly enough against the Packers in Week 17 that O’Connell yanked him from the lineup after just 10 passes.
Neither quarterback is an ideal option behind Darnold, and the Vikings were likely to try and trade either Mullens or Hall before August’s end when the room was fully healthy and everyone was participating in the preseason. Now, however, Minnesota may need to try and level up behind Darnold, and while Huntley isn’t a powerhouse name, he has proven himself more capable than either Mullens or Hall over the course of his four-year career.
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Vikings Trade Pitch Nets Former Pro Bowl QB for Day 3 Pick After McCarthy Injury