The Minnesota Vikings traded J.J. McCarthy to the New York Giants on Monday, and with that, their future at quarterback was blown wide open.
Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz are both on one-year contracts, and with Max Brosmer being an unlikely solution, the natural reaction is for everyone to speculate that the Vikings will be interested in selecting a quarterback during the 2027 NFL Draft.
Vikings General Manager Nolan Teasley declined to talk about the possibility of selecting a quarterback next season when speaking to reporters on Monday, noting that trading McCarthy “was a move that was in the best interest of [the Vikings] today.”
But the quarterback dilemma will have to be answered at some point unless they plan to trade for Kirk Cousins and have him play into his 70s.
Alas, any talk about selecting a quarterback may be irrelevant, and it may show how the Vikings are more interested in just building a roster that can stay in the hunt as opposed to finding a long-term solution at quarterback.
Vikings timeline could be difficult for a young QB to succeed
McCarthy’s play didn’t warrant the Vikings giving him another look as the starter this season, but his tale is a cautionary one for players who leave school early.
Landing in an organization that included a highly regarded play-caller in O’Connell and one of the league’s top wide receivers in Justin Jefferson, it appeared that McCarthy had found the right spot to maximize his career in the NFL. But those plans came crashing down in part due to the Vikings’ timeline.
The Wilf family has repeatedly stressed patience with their franchise, but their moves don’t line up.
Despite a carousel at quarterback, the Wilfs have been against bottoming out to acquire a franchise quarterback in the draft, creating the public perception that they’re more interested in going 9-8 than building a contender with multiple chances to win a championship.
Former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah referred to this as “multiple bites at the apple” in the infamous interview with Jori Epstein, formerly of USA Today, and he put the plan into motion during his four years in Minnesota.
But when McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in his first preseason game, it allowed Sam Darnold to start the entire 2024 season and lead the Vikings to a 14-win season.
That taste of having a team in a position to win a Super Bowl created massive expectations, and they became even bigger when they let Darnold leave for the Seattle Seahawks.
The Vikings turned down Aaron Rodgers’s flirtations shortly after, and it resulted in a 2025 season in which McCarthy battled injuries and made just 10 starts. But there were also flashes of potential, including a fourth-quarter comeback in his first career start against the Chicago Bears and wins on the road against the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.
Potential rifts behind the scenes may have played into their decision with McCarthy, but it shows that while O’Connell may like to develop a long-term solution at quarterback, he may not have the time to see his vision through.
With a defense that has Brian Flores at the helm and a 27-year-old Justin Jefferson, whichever draft pick makes his way to Minnesota may have an accelerated clock, and it may convince the Vikings to pass despite a very talented crop of quarterbacks in next year’s draft.
Deep QB class might not be enough for the Vikings to take one in the 2027 NFL Draft
The 2027 draft class is loaded and includes several prospects who could start for years to come. Texas’s Arch Manning is the top quarterback in next year’s draft, but the Vikings may not be high enough to select him after winning their first three games of the 2026 season and already having a leg up on a potential division title.
Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss, Miami’s Darian Mensah, Oregon’s Dante Moore, and Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker also could be potential targets for the Vikings, and the class could get deeper if Ohio State’s Julian Sayin or Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr decided to declare after this season.
But using a first-round pick on a quarterback may also hurt the Vikings elsewhere. Perhaps the Vikings would want to boost their receiver depth by taking a receiver.
They could also upgrade at cornerback, guard, or center, and after waiting to take McCarthy as the fifth quarterback off the board in the 2024 draft, they may not be willing to just take the guy that falls to them in the middle or the back end of the first round.
If anything, the Vikings may be more likely to use their first-round pick as part of a trade for a quarterback. Maybe Justin Herbert has a falling out with the Los Angeles Chargers. Maybe O’Connell gets a shot to finally link up with Anthony Richardson after his comments in a 2024 game went viral.
Perhaps Murray improves and convinces the Vikings to not make the same mistake they made with Darnold a few years ago, or maybe they just go back to Cousins, who could be available for one last fully guaranteed paycheck next offseason.
Whatever it is, the Vikings will likely play safe with their current situation, and that means that taking a swing on a quarterback in this year’s class may not happen no matter how hard fans want to speculate.
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