It was a 100 percent certainty that the Minnesota Vikings would add a quarterback this offseason. The question was who it would be, realistically. Where that new signal caller landed on the cache scale would also be the clear signal about the organization's view of J.J. McCarthy.
Alas, after weeks of speculation foreshadowing the looming marriage, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray after he was officially released by the Arizona Cardinals. Any attempt to frame the situation as an equal competition with McCarthy for the starting job should be seen for the fraudulent attempt that it is.
Murray could have gone somewhere else and taken what amounted to a "gap year" as a backup to an established starter. He's a Viking for one or both of two primary reasons.
One, Murray saw the most vulnerable starting quarterback in the NFL and thought (knew) his best chance to be a starter was in Minnesota. Two, head coach Kevin O'Connell told him he'd be the starter next season, barring something completely unforeseen.
After failing to have a suitable contingency plan if McCarthy struggled or struggled to stay healthy last season, the Vikings have outright replaced him for at least next season. Don't let O'Connell or anyone else tell you otherwise.
That's not to say the Vikings are totally giving up on someone who's younger than some incoming quarterback prospects in this year's draft class, and has 10 starts on his resume. But jobs are on the line after O'Connell won the power struggle with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and simply passable quarterback play might have won them the NFC North last season.
Natural tentacle to Minnesota Vikings signing Kyler Murray has already surfaced
If McCarthy sits behind Murray for all or most of next season, the Vikings still won't know what they have in him three years into a four-year base-level rookie contract. And they'd have a decision to make on McCarthy's fifth-year option around May 1, 2027, with one rough year as a starter to base that decision on.
Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press recently took the Vikings' signing Murray to an easy follow-up in regard to McCarthy.
"Now that Kyler Murray seems set to be the Vikings’ starting quarterback next season, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team entertains a trade for J.J. McCarthy.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns seem like teams that might have an interest in McCarthy, potentially as a starter. The Los Angeles Chargers, coached by Jim Harbaugh, who coached McCarthy to a national championship at Michigan in 2004, would seem a third possibility as a backup to Justin Herbert.
The Chargers do not have a designated backup QB. Last season, it was Trey Lance from Marshall, Minn. A trade for McCarthy would require a high enough draft pick."
Walters is speculating about the Vikings entertaining the idea of trading McCarthy, and teams that may be interested. One of the three teams can basically be eliminated, as the Chargers seem prepared to stick with Trey Lance as Justin Herbert's backup next season.
Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently included a McCarthy trade on his list of surprise trades that could still happen after the early part of free agency.
"Vikings Trade QB J.J. McCarthy to the Cardinals
The Minnesota Vikings have signed Kyler Murray to a one-year deal, which makes J.J. McCarthy's future uncertain. Still, it's uncommon for a team to trade a quarterback who was a top-10 pick before he's played a full season of games.
McCarthy lost a supporter in the Vikings' building when the team fired former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. So, he may need a change of scenery, as Murray, a two-time Pro Bowler, makes his way to Minnesota.
In the best-case scenario for McCarthy, he would go to a team that allows him to battle for the starting job. The Arizona Cardinals have journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II atop their quarterback depth chart.
In Arizona, McCarthy can learn from Brissett and Minshew while competing against them. The Cardinals would have a developmental signal-caller with room for growth and no obligation to start him right away."
The Cardinals seem poised to lose as much as possible next season, ahead of what looks to be a loaded quarterback class in the 2027 draft.
But the combination of Brissett and Minshew might win them enough games to take them out of the No. 1 overall pick, which is currently tentatively projected to be Texas quarterback Arch Manning.
If he were brought aboard, starts some (or a lot of ) games and plays well next season, McCarthy could give the Cardinals their young quarterback to build around in lieu of dipping into that 2027 quarterback class. Or, if he plays poorly, the tank job ("Planning for Manning?") would be completed.
Would it be surprising for the Vikings to consider trading McCarthy? Not at all. But they also probably wouldn't get more than a late-round draft pick for him right now, likely with some conditions attached to it based on his playing time with the new team, etc.
Being replaced, as he has naturally been, puts McCarthy on the hypothetical trade block. We'll see if the idea of moving him shifts into reality for the Vikings over the coming weeks and months.