Minnesota Vikings are linked to a potential Anthony Richardson trade, and it’s bound to happen for one reason

Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s infatuation with Anthony Richardson will likely lead to a trade this offseason to compete with J.J. McCarthy.

Tyler Forness — NFL & College Football News Writer
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Anthony Richardson and Kevin O'Connell at midfield after the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football
NFL/NFL Films

As of this moment in January of 2026, the Minnesota Vikings do not have their franchise quarterback.

When the Vikings selected quarterback J.J. McCarthy 10th overall, they hoped he would become the franchise quarterback. Through two seasons, that hasn’t happened yet, mainly due to injuries. McCarthy has started just 10 of 35 possible games due to injury, and he wasn’t all that impressive as a whole, completing less than 60 percent of his passes with 11 passing touchdowns, four rushing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions.

There will be a lot of discussion this offseason about adding another quarterback to compete with McCarthy, and one quarterback stands above the rest.

Minnesota Vikings linked to an Anthony Richardson trade

Over the past few months, I have been vocal about the Vikings making one trade this offseason: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson. Our Colts beat writer Destin Adams linked the two teams on Monday, and it makes all the sense in the world.

“The Vikings have their own former first-round pick who hasn’t panned out the way they were hoping, in J.J. McCarthy,” Adams wrote. “His struggles on the field and string of injuries caused Minnesota to miss the postseason, and the team will have to consider bringing in competition at QB for next season.

“Richardson is set to make just $11 million on the final year of his rookie contract in 2026. Due to the Colts having to take on part of his salary to trade him, his new team would owe him less than $6 million next year.

“The Vikings won’t find a more cost-effective option to compete with McCarthy. It’s also pretty well known at this point that Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was a big fan of Richardson during his draft process. The two even shared a touching moment after the Colts played the Vikings in 2024.”

Richardson would be an inexpensive option for the Vikings, as they would only be on the hook for $5,385,549 after a trade. It’s also just a one-year deal, provided they don’t pick up the fifth-year option, which would be exorbitant at $22.936 million, per Over The Cap.

It also makes sense from a need perspective. Having a second high-upside option at quarterback would be good for the Vikings, especially with the uncertainty around McCarthy. O’Connell and the Vikings also made a serious run to trade up for Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft, with sources telling me at the time the offer was three first-round picks and two second-round picks.

Even with that kind of offer to the Arizona Cardinals, it wasn’t enough to make it happen.

Acquiring Anthony Richardson adds another J.J. McCarthy

If the Vikings trade for Richardson, it would give them another high-upside option at quarterback. However, it just adds another player of the same ilk as McCarthy. While both players are very different, they are eerily similar.

  • High-upside athlete
  • Good pocket presence
  • Disastrous mechanics
  • Limited games played since entering college
  • Injury history in the NFL

McCarthy is much more of a balanced quarterback, whereas Richardson is an alien, much like Josh Allen. Their similarities in terms of struggles are why neither has cemented themselves as “the guy” with their respective teams. Giving both a chance to compete for the starting job is a good thing for the Vikings, especially since having two players gives you a better chance to find the guy.

O’Connell’s love for Richardson and his quarterback prowess could vault him to the level of superstardom we all thought he would reach. It also could spark something in McCarthy to take the next step.

The cost would also be relatively affordable, likely a late third- or early fourth-round pick. The Vikings are projected to have the 97th overall pick due to losing Sam Darnold, and that could be what gets it done, with the possibility of getting a day three pick back in the deal.

There’s no guarantee that this would end up working, but the odds of finding your franchise quarterback go up with a trade.

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