Heading into next week's NFL Scouting Combine, there is still plenty of uncertainty about what the Minnesota Vikings are going to do at the quarterback position this offseason. Almost anything seems like a possibility for the Vikings at this point, even moving on from J.J. McCarthy.
Minnesota trading McCarthy elsewhere this year is something that has been speculated about during the last few weeks, but it's not one of the scenarios that many feel will actually happen.
Well, Yahoo's Charles Robinson recently added to the speculation when talking about what to watch for during next week's Scouting Combine, and he casually mentioned McCarthy as a player some teams might call the Vikings about to see if he's able to be acquired in a trade this offseason.
"Potential veteran trades, including Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and others.
Throw in some young players who might get a call or two just to see if they are available on the trade market, including Buffalo Bills wideout Keon Coleman, Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Brian Thomas Jr., Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson and Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy."
Will the Minnesota Vikings trade QB J.J. McCarthy before the start of the 2026 season?
Some might be wondering why Robinson talking about McCarthy possibly being traded is worth paying attention to, and that's fair.
However, Robinson is a Senior NFL Reporter for Yahoo, and he's been covering the league for over two decades, so he's probably not going to just mention that teams might call Minnesota about their young quarterback if he didn't hear it could be a possibility from multiple league or team sources.
The chances of the Vikings actually trading McCarthy still seem low at this point in the offseason. But the NFL Scouting Combine is where a lot of rumors get closer to becoming reality, so after next week, it's possible that there might be even more steam about Minnesota potentially shipping their third-year quarterback out of town.
Stranger things have certainly happened around the league, especially when the Vikings are involved. But for now, let's just say Minnesota trading McCarthy this offseason should no longer be viewed as something that has a less than zero percent chance of happening.