The Minnesota Vikings are about to enter their first season with J.J. McCarthy as their QB1, and expectations are high for the second-year quarterback. The Vikings clearly believe in him, though, because they spent all offseason ignoring requests for them to add a starting veteran quarterback. Now, McCarthy is the unquestioned starter.
Behind him on the depth chart are Sam Howell, Brett Rypien, and Max Brosmer. While Minnesota could enter the season with two of those three and McCarthy in its quarterback room, they could be presented with an opportunity to upgrade at the QB2 spot.
All throughout the league, teams are preparing for roster cutdown day, and that’s why there have been several trades in recent days. The Vikings could get in on the action and acquire a veteran backup quarterback. The player who makes sense is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock. If Seattle is willing to part ways with him for, say, a sixth-round pick, it’s a move Minnesota should make.
Minnesota Vikings should explore acquiring Drew Lock from the Seattle Seahawks
The starting quarterback for Seattle is Sam Darnold, who spent last season with the Vikings, and Minnesota’s current backup quarterback is Sam Howell, who spent last year with the Seahawks. Now, another quarterback could switch between the two teams, with Lock making sense as a trade option for both sides.
For Minnesota, Lock would be a slight upgrade over Howell. In the event the Vikings have to play someone other than McCarthy, Lock would be able to step in.
For the Seahawks, they are rolling with Darnold as their QB1, and could rely on rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe as the primary backup. In the preseason, Milroe has flashed the ability that once had him projected to be an early-round pick, so Seattle could be cool with him at QB2.
While it may seem like a good deal for both teams on paper, it would come down to both sides deciding this makes sense for a trade like this to actually happen.