The Obscure Reason J.J. McCarthy Must Start This Week
The NFL trade deadline is about two weeks away, and the Minnesota Vikings can’t really know if they are buyers or sellers with a 3-3 record. That’s why the purple team must start J.J. McCarthy this week — and see what happens.
Vikings fans will monitor J.J. McCarthy’s status for the next day or so, but there’s a crystal-clear reason why he must get on the field.
If McCarthy is cleared to play, he’ll face his college coach, Jim Harbaugh, and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings Must Know Where They Stand by November 4th
The team can’t know if it’s a buyer or seller until it gets another glimpse of McCarthy.
The NFL Trade Deadline Is 2 Weeks Away, and the Vikings Must Determine if They Are Buyers, Sellers, or Neither
All NFL teams have two weeks to figure out their plans for any and all trades. Clubs like the Miami Dolphins could hold a fire sale. Contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccanneers could stock up on depth to prepare for a Super Bowl push.
Minnesota, meanwhile, lives right in the damn middle.
Kevin O’Connell’s team is 3-3, and no one is too sure if it will break off a patended O’Connellian winning streak or slip into irrelevance. Either outcome is believable.
In each season since O’Connell took over as the head coach in 2022, the Vikings have fired up at least one five-game win spurt per season. The franchise has two weeks to decide if the playoffs are achievable or if this campaign is merely a mediocre or loser’s stepping stone to 2026.
Could Be 3-5, 4-4, or 5-3 by Deadline
This trade deadline tidbit is so volatile because the season could be markedly different two weeks from now.
A 3-5 Vikings team, with McCarthy still playing incredibly raw, would probably convince the team to hold off on trading draft picks for veteran players during the middle of the season. You don’t really stock up on veterans with a 3-5 record and tunnelling toward a Top 12 draft pick.
On the other hand, if McCarthy returns this week and leads the Vikings to victory, followed by a surprise upset of the Detroit Lions, Minnesota would be 5-3, with fans saying something along the lines of: “We are so back.”
Of course, a 4-4 record is tricky to ponder for the trade deadline’s purposes, but with McCarthy under center in Week 7 and 8, at least the team will know if he has the juice to bounce back from his unholy bad Week 2 showing.
Two Games of McCarthy Will Tell a Story
McCarthy played so poorly that some Vikings fans absolutely insist that the team faked his injury and softly benched him. The theory is ludicrous, but it’s an example of how unprepared McCarthy played in his first-ever game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Conversely, the week before, McCarthy won the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award and led Minnesota to a 4th Quarter comeback over the Chicago Bears, a club that is suddenly 4-2.
McCarthy needs to play in Week 7 and/or Week 8 so his coaches can determine how the rest of the season might look — an utterly sputtering festival of inexperienced quarterback development or NFC Offensive Player of the Week scenes that now feel like a thousand years ago.
Vikings Usually Busy via Trades
Not for nothing, this article was only published because general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah loves trades. If he typically stayed quiet at the deadline, this point would be moot.
But not Adofo-Mensah: the Vikings boss has finagled at least one trade during the middle of the season per year since he took the top job 3.5 years ago.
If Minnesota becomes a seller — it has to win a game or two in Week 7 and 8 — it might need a cornerback, offensive line depth, or off-ball linebacker.
More on the Vikings Trade Deadline Approach
Our Kyle Joudry opined on Minnesota at the deadline last week, “Sometimes, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah puts together a trade that has an eye toward the future. One thinks back to 2023 when Ezra Cleveland got sent down to Jacksonville.”
“Doing so cleared the way for Dalton Risner to maintain his spot as the LG1 within the season. But then there was the reality of Minnesota apparently not being overly interested is handing over major money to Cleveland. Solving that future problem — not handing over meaty compensation to the athletic left guard — meant saying goodbye in-season. The future-oriented approach applies to additions, as well. Maybe the player helps the team in 2025.”
The Vikings may want to stockpile draft picks if they forge a 3-5 record in the next two games, as they don’t have much cash on hand for free agents in 2026. They rank near the bottom of the NFL in projected cap space next offseason.
“Does the player’s future scramble the salary cap in 2026? If so, is there an easy out within the contract that brings minimal pain? Don’t give the 2025 season a shot of adrenaline at the cost of undermining 2026. Details to consider for the Vikings’ trade possibilities,” Joudry added.
“Hapless teams like the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints (among others) make sense as groups who could plausibly be interested in offloading talent. Do note, though, that teams aren’t in the habit of helping another squad for no reason. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will therefore need to assemble a good sales pitch.”
The request is simple: Start McCarthy this week so the team knows how to proceed at the trade deadline.
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