NFL analyst projects Minnesota Vikings to make franchise altering trade linked to Sam Darnold that will impact J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings certainly need to add to the quarterback room, but this is an insane price.
The Minnesota Vikings aren’t sure what they have in quarterback J.J. McCarthy. He’s played in just 10 of a possible 35 games during his career, and that has been a big factor in trying to project his future.
This offseason, the Vikings have made it perfectly clear they will be adding to the quarterback room with some competition, something head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed in his season-ending press conference.
“I absolutely want a competitive situation,” said O’Connell. “Obviously, J.J. [McCarthy] is going to be a major, major emphasis for our staff and our team and me personally, and we’ll figure out what that looks like as we navigate the early part of this offseason when it comes to managing the roster.
“I think ultimately, we’ve got to decide how to not only continue J.J.’s progression, allow him to continue to ascend as a young player, 22-years-old with 10 starts, but at the same time, like I said, I think the competition in that room will only enhance our entire team.”
Bill Barnwell suggests the Vikings trade a haul for Mac Jones
Getting competition is going to be key for the Vikings, but how much is too much? Bill Barnwell threads that line in his latest for ESPN, where he suggests multiple trades ahead of the start of free agency. He sent the Vikings quarterback Mac Jones of the San Francisco 49ers, but it wasn’t the trade that was surprising. It was the trade package.
- Vikings get: Mac Jones and 2027 third-round pick
- 49ers get: 2026 second-round pick, 2027 conditional fifth-round pick, and 2028 conditional third-round pick
Yes, Barnwell has the Vikings trading a second-round pick for a quarterback they wouldn’t have any long-term plans for. Plus, the conditions of the trade are brutal for the Vikings.
“In this deal, the 49ers get a second-rounder for a future third-rounder. There are also two conditional picks, which should help protect them if Jones blossoms in Minnesota. The 2027 conditional pick would trigger based on Jones’ playing time with the Vikings. If he starts four games in 2026, the Vikings send a fifth-round pick out west. If Jones starts 12 games, that gets upped to a third-rounder. And then, if Jones re-signs with the Vikings after the 2026 season and starts at least one game for the Vikings in 2027, the 49ers would land another third-round pick.”
Not only does it scream of desperation, but it’s a terrible value for a player the New England Patriots ran out of town just two years ago. Plus, Jones wasn’t even that good. He was a decent starter in the most quarterback-friendly system in the entire league. Even with that, Jones still threw for just 13 touchdowns and six interceptions, and looked average in doing so.
The frustrating part about this entire scenario is how Barnwell relates it to Sam Darnold.
“This would be sort of a complicated trade, but the Vikings would be adding a quarterback who showed some of his upside in San Francisco. Jones posted a 62.3 Total QBR during his lone season with the 49ers, coming in a little more than 10 points behind Brock Purdy‘s 73.0 mark. Jones is due just $4.7 million in 2026, which will be the final year of his contract. And of course, we know that the Vikings have been willing to take a swing on quarterbacks who have gone through the Kyle Shanahan rejuvenation cycle before, having signed Sam Darnold after the now-Super Bowl champion’s only year in San Francisco.”
What’s the biggest difference between Jones and Darnold? Arm talent. Darnold got droves of arm talent, whereas Jones is bang average at best. It was always about finding a way to get Darnold to use his physical gifts consistently, and they were able to extract that from him. Adding Jones, not only wouldn’t be an upside play, but a step backward to what they were doing with Kirk Cousins for years.
If this were the Vikings giving up a fourth-round pick, or even their compensatory third-round pick, it would make sense. At this price, it would be a borderline fireable offense.
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