As the Minnesota Vikings get going with OTAs, the quarterback competition between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy has officially started. The actual level of that competition, with the scales tipped toward Murray unless McCarthy really shows out, will be debated until further notice.
Looking beyond the 2026 season, McCarthy would have one more year left on his rookie contract in 2027 (with a fifth-year option decision looming next spring), while Murray is slated to be a free agent next March.
Ideally, one of Murray or McCarthy asserts himself clearly as the Vikings' starting quarterback in 2027 (and beyond). But it's absolutely possible it'll be back to square one on that front, with a currently unclear or unknown option starting for the Purple in Week 1 of the 2027 season.
A hypothetical trade proposal brings the Minnesota Vikings a perfect student for Kevin O'Connell's QB school
During his tenure as the Vikings' head coach, Kevin O'Connell has gotten good seasons out of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold, while also coaxing good production out of quarterbacks like Nick Mullens and Josh Dobbs. That spotlights McCarthy's shortcomings last season in a dismal way, while Murray, of course, hopes to be the next veteran quarterback to benefit from O'Connell's influence.
ESPN rounded up a few of their NFL analysts and the team-appropriate beat writers to offer trade proposals, and accept or reject them, for four veteran players.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is one of those four players, and among that group, it's fair to say he needs a change of scenery the most.
Interestingly, analysts Jeremy Fowler, Dan Graziano, Ben Solak, and Seth Walder each offered a trade proposal that would bring Richardson to an NFC North team.
Walder had the Vikings offering a 2027 fifth-round pick for Richards, and Colts' beat writer Stephen Holder accepted that offer.
"There doesn't appear to be total alignment on Richardson between Colts coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard. The latter seems more inclined to try to make it work this season, while the former seems content with Leonard as Daniel Jones' backup. But if Ballard can recoup a substantive pick for Richardson, he's likely to come around."
"The win-win here is Walder's offer from the Vikings. First, it gives the Colts a fifth-rounder without a pick swap like Solak's offer from Detroit. And Minnesota's fifth-rounder will likely come earlier than Green Bay's fifth-rounder, giving this deal the edge over Fowler's pitch. Additionally, it would allow Indianapolis to accommodate Richardson, as Ballard has said he'd like to do, by pairing him with a QB developer in O'Connell. That's precisely what Richardson has been hoping for."
Then, there's the tentacle directly involving O'Connell. After a game against the Colts in 2024, when Richardson had been benched, O'Connell offered the former top-five overall pick some notable words of encouragement.
.@Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell had some words of encouragement for @GVOaant ❤️ pic.twitter.com/TaXW9dFaMx
— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2024
Richardson just turned 24 on May 22. That means he's younger than some quarterbacks who have been drafted since he entered the league in 2023, and back then, he was a very raw prospect with just one season as a starter on his college resume.
A development runway definitely still exists, and some team is eventually going to see if they can launch Richardson down it.
The Vikings adding Richardson to their quarterback room right now would be an odd look, to say the least. But if things go a certain way over the next several months, he is a name fans can stash in their back pocket as a potential option to have his career rehabbed by O'Connell.
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