Last year, the Minnesota Vikings selected J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, thinking that the standout quarterback from Michigan would be the team’s future signal-caller.
With a victory over the Detroit Lions on Sunday, the Vikings may capture the NFC North and the conference’s top seed. However, McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent acquisition Sam Darnold has guided the team to an unexpected 14-2 record.
Before agreeing to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason, Darnold was 21-35 as an NFL starter. He has since been a revelation for Minnesota and has set himself up for a sizable raise in 2025. Due to McCarthy’s injury and Darnold’s performance, who is fourth in the NFL in passing yards and sixth in touchdowns, the Vikings will have to make some tough decisions this offseason.
Teams will likely ask about McCarthy’s availability, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“A lot of hypotheticals are present there. When Schefter appeared on “Unsportsmanlike” this week, he stated, “I definitely think teams will be checking in with the Vikings to see if they have any interest in trading JJ McCarthy.” This is because there is a limited quarterback draft class, and there are far more teams that need quarterbacks than quarterbacks who can actually step in right away. They may say that we don’t, and that’s the end of it, but I believe that teams will already look into the option you just brought up. For this reason, JJ McCarthy would have been one of the best quarterback prospects in this draft, if not the best.
The Vikings want Darnold back for the upcoming campaign, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. McCarthy may not be able to play if Darnold signs a long-term contract, but Minnesota may be able to use the franchise tag on the other former first-round pick. With a quarterback on the franchise tag valued at $41.3 million for 2025, the cost would be high, but Minnesota is thought to have $78.1 million available.
Additionally, Darnold is only 27 years old, and after a stellar season, a long-term contract might be possible for the quarterback. Schefter thinks Minnesota might get a good return for the 21-year-old McCarthy, who played 27-1 as a starter for the Wolverines and helped them win a national championship in 2023, if it does consider bids on the player.
Schefter acknowledged that he was recovering from an ACL injury. “So what? Does it make a difference? And I think the Vikings would get back all they invested in him and more if they opted to move him, which I’m not sure they will do. One and then some would be the case.
