It was inevitable, and now it has happened. On Tuesday, as first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Minnesota Vikings announced Kyler Murray as their starting quarterback for the 2026 season.
The move to name Murray the starting quarterback in Minnesota fully casts into doubt the future of J.J. McCarthy in Minnesota. Speculation about potential trade destinations has been easy, and for his part, he said right off the bat when OTAs started that he didn't want to be traded.
McCarthy also teased how he might handle being the No. 2 quarterback back in June, with comments about a lack of a relationship with Murray in the quarterback room. The backup quarterback has to be helpful to the starter during practice throughout the week and on the sideline during games.
Will McCarthy fully embrace that role? With that in mind, perhaps not coincidentally, the Vikings have Carson Wentz as an ideal fit for it.
With the decision to name Murray the starter coming when it did, also perhaps not coincidentally, the full preseason could now be a trade showcase for McCarthy. He presumably still carries a strong vein of potential that appeals to other teams.
So, as things sit right now, let's look at the most realistic potential trade suitors for McCarthy.
3 realistic trade suitors for J.J. McCarthy with his Minnesota Vikings future in doubt
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have one more year with Aaron Rodgers, then they have a question mark under center as the rest of head coach Mike McCarthy's tenure would move forward. Second-year man Will Howard or rookie Drew Allar could be the guy in 2027, but neither has premium draft capital invested in them.
Adding J.J. McCarthy would either further clog what currently looks to be a cloudy future situation or finally give the "never-rebuild" Steelers a real potential long-term answer at quarterback. Either way, it might be worth the flier for them.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Any idle speculation about Lamar Jackson's long-term future in Baltimore can be put to bed in short order with a contract extension. But as of right now, 2027 is the last year of his contract, and the Ravens may need to extend their thinking about their future plan at the most important position on the field.
McCarthy's tie to Ravens' head coach Jesse Minter, who was the defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan for each of McCarthy's two seasons as the Wolverines' starting quarterback, could broadly inform their interest.
If the Ravens want to cultivate a young quarterback, behind Jackson or as a possible future replacement for him if things go that way, McCarthy could be the guy. He would also get the development runway he clearly needs, and the Vikings no longer seem interested in fully giving that to him.
1. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are the lowest-hanging fruit among potential McCarthy trade suitors, but it has to be plucked. Head coach Jim Harbaugh, of course, was McCarthy's college coach, and he has made his opinion of his former pupil abundantly clear all along.
The Chargers don't need a starting quarterback anytime soon, with Justin Herbert entrenched for the foreseeable future. Behind him, though, McCarthy could sit, learn, and develop while having his college coach re-inject him with confidence. After a couple of seasons of that, McCarthy could hit the free agent market ready to be someone's starter.
It's worth mentioning the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers as teams that could have more interest in trading for McCarthy than a lot of other teams. Maybe the New York Jets would too, but the Vikings surely don't dislike McCarthy enough to send him there.
The equation could easily change regarding possible McCarthy trade suitors as the preseason ramps up. If someone loses a quarterback, they may be making a call to Nolan Teasley about McCarthy. The question then becomes whether the Vikings would trade him.
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