Although there is no pressing need to trade J.J. McCarthy away, the arrival of Kyler Murray to the Minnesota Vikings has started a rumbling that the purple and gold might explore dealing their young quarterback.
The jury is still out on what McCarthy could be for the Vikings. The former National Champion at the University of Michigan turned 23 years old this year and has dealt with injuries and offensive struggles since being a first-round pick of Minnesota in the 2026 NFL Draft.
J.J. McCarthy has the opportunity to continue to learn and develop under head coach Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota without the team needing to invest further in his development. However, the general manager who selected him in the draft is no longer with the franchise, and it could be an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over.
If the Minnesota Vikings decide to trade quarterback J.J. McCarthy in 2026, he'd better hope that it's not to one of these NFL teams.
In a recent article on the Bleacher Report website, Gary Davenport listed multiple notable players who could be traded this offseason, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was among those listed.
Here is what Davenport had to say about the Vikings potentially trading McCarthy:
"The point is coming where Minnesota will have two choices: hand McCarthy a clipboard or trade the third-year pro while he still has some value."
Minnesota should have a better idea of what to do with McCarthy after training camp and the preseason, but they shouldn't be in any rush to make any drastic decisions on his future before fully evaluating his situation.
Davenport continued by listing two potential trade destinations for the young Vikings quarterback:
"Potential Trade Partners: Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets"
Let's be honest here. If the Minnesota Vikings trade J.J. McCarthy to either the Arizona Cardinals or the New York Jets, that is the absolute worst-case scenario for him.
The Arizona Cardinals moved on from Kyler Murray this offseason and currently have a quarterback room that includes Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kindon Slovis. He could be closer to starting there than in Minnesota, but his ascent to starting would be much more difficult.
On the other hand, the New York Jets are a train wreck. They are expected to start Geno Smith in 2026 with Brady Cook and Bailey Zappe as his backups. If they don't choose to draft a quarterback this year, trading for a more experienced or higher-upside backup could be smart.
J.J. McCarthy would no longer have head coach Kevin O'Connell to work with him in Arizona or New York and would be without Carson Wentz and Kyler Murray to help his development. The idea of receiving a draft pick for the young quarterback sounds good until you realize that it means throwing in the towel on a quarterback that the franchise once thought could be a major contributor.