J.J. McCarthy trade discussion won’t go away for the Minnesota Vikings, but it should for one reason
The idea of the Minnesota Vikings trading J.J. McCarthy continues to be mentioned, but it’s too Madden brained.
When the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Kyler Murray, the prevailing thought was that J.J. McCarthy‘s future with the team was over. Murray theoretically wasn’t going to sign with a team to be a backup.
Even so, McCarthy was selected by the Vikings at 10th overall, and it wouldn’t make sense to cut bait while he’s on a team-friendly, fully guaranteed contract. Even so, the discussions around trading McCarthy are constant, especially with the lack of depth across the board.
Trading J.J. McCarthy doesn’t make sense
The latest discussion about a McCarthy trade comes from ESPN’s Dan Graziano, posing the question of why they didn’t do it. It provides a significant explanation as to why.
The expectation is that Murray was brought in to start. If he does so and plays well, it’s hard to envision much of a future in Minnesota for McCarthy. This is his third NFL season, which means the Vikings have to decide next May whether to pick up McCarthy’s fifth-year option for 2029. A good, healthy season from Murray that results in a return to the postseason for the Vikings likely means McCarthy won’t have played in Year 1 or Year 3 of his rookie deal.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano
Still, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade him. The Vikings have already paid 70% of McCarthy’s rookie contract. There’s no way they could get anything in return that remotely approaches what they spent in terms of draft capital to acquire him in the first place. They’re less than a year removed from believing he could be their starter, not just now but for years to come. And it’s not like Murray is some automatic fix, either. He has had one fully healthy season in the past five, and the Cardinals are paying him almost $36 million this year to play for another team.
It’s important to note the intricacies of Graziano’s argument here. Murray has struggled to stay healthy in his career, and head coach Kevin O’Connell has had to start at least three quarterbacks in two of his four years with the Vikings. Even with McCarthy also having injury issues, it’s important for O’Connell to keep three capable starting quarterbacks.
Along with that, the value of which the Vikings would get in a trade won’t come close to matching what it’s giving up. McCarthy’s struggles aside, he’s only 23 years old and multiple questions still exist about his future. There is still a possibility he could be a franchise quarterback. However, his lack of production across two years won’t net the Vikings much in return. Right now, it would be, at best, a fourth-round pick, which is what Trey Lance netted in 2024.
It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to trade him at this moment. Now, could that change if Murray wins the job and there is a major injury at quarterback? Absolutely. However, for right now, the discussion of trading McCarthy needs to stop. It doesn’t make sense, nor, barring extenuating circumstances, will it happen.
