Questions Answered: J.J. McCarthy Trade, Trey Smith, Kwesi’s Drafting Ability
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the February 4th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: J.J. McCarthy Trade, Trey Smith, Kwesi’s Drafting Ability
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Under any circumstance whatsoever, do you see the Vikings trading J.J. McCarthy this offseason and rolling with Sam Darnold?
Answer: No. None.
ESPN Radio host Paul Hembekides floated a McCarthy trade idea Monday, suggesting the Vikings should onboard quarterback Deshaun Watson from the Cleveland Browns. Watson, in theory, would become a Viking while also nabbing pass rusher Myles Garrett from Cleveland, who requested a trade this week.
In return, Cleveland would welcome McCarthy as its QB1.
“What if the Minnesota Vikings are able or willing to take on the Deshaun Watson contract as well? So, you get out from under Deshaun, you trade away a franchise quarterback, and you make it a two-for-one instead. How, how much, how badly do you wanna get rid of the Deshaun Watson anchor?” Hembekides asked his show co-hosts.
This is ridiculous. It’s not that different from Justin Jefferson trade rumors last year.
The Vikings will not trade McCarthy, a rookie they love. What are we doing here? They’re really going to roll with the guy, Sam Darnold, who faceplanted in the playoffs? Naw.
Q: Do you think the Vikings will spend the $20+ million on Trey Smith, the top free-agent guard?
Answer: He’s probably too spendy for Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Minnesota can scour the open market and sign two guards for the price of Smith. That — and Smith will have a humongous market and several NFL teams need OGs.
There’s a flicker of hope that Adofo-Mensah spends big on Smith, but it doesn’t fit his value-based approach to team-building.
Q: Do you agree that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is a horrible scout of talent?
Answer: We agree that the 2022 draft class was terrible, but we’re not afraid to admit his improvement since.
After 2022, he’s found talents like Jordan Addison, Ivan Pace Jr., Mekhi Blackmon, and Dallas Turner.
Anything at all relating to Adofo-Mensah will boil down to one player: J.J. McCarthy. If McCarthy does not pan out as a franchise quarterback or is “mid,” that will write Adofo-Mensah’s story for him.
Everything regarding Vikings football for the foreseeable future depends on whether McCarthy transforms into a Top 12 quarterback.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.