Another Voice Endorses Bizarre Vikings Trade
Even if the Minnesota Vikings are outwardly committed to a long-term plan involving rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the national viewpoint suggests he could be traded during the offseason.
Another Voice Endorses Bizarre Vikings Trade
The team’s current quarterback, Sam Darnold, has performed quite well this season, and recent momentum has mounted for Darnold to stay in the Twin Cities. The Vikings drafted McCarthy in Round 1 of last April’s draft, nominating him as the quarterback of the future, but some just don’t want Darnold to leave in free agency because McCarthy is an unknown commodity. The rookie has also missed all of 2024 due to a torn meniscus.
ESPN’s Mike Greenberg became the latest and greatest subscriber to the trade-McCarthy theory this week. He joined The Pat McAfee Show and mentioned, “I think it’s a very risky roll of the dice to let Sam Darnold get out of the building right now. They have the situation in their control. I think Darnold has proved that, in this offense, he is more than good enough.”
Darnold is currently playing on a one-year, $10 million contract and will hit free agency in two months if the Vikings do not extend him.
McCarthy, on the other hand, is on an affordable rookie contract through the end of 2028.
“J.J. McCarthy, if he were in this year’s draft, he would be the No. 1 pick. So if you are a team that has a top-10 pick and needs a quarterback, why wouldn’t you trade that to Minnesota,” Greenberg added. “So, Minnesota can keep Darnold. They can franchise him if they don’t feel 100% certain about him forever. Or they can try and make a deal with him, maybe he takes a slightly team-friendly one because he recognizes this has revitalized his entire career. And the Vikings can add a top-10 pick in the draft by trading McCarthy. I think that would make a lot of sense.”
Darnold flopped last weekend at the Detroit Lions in a game that determined the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Some Vikings fans used that outing as a reason to hop back on board the McCarthy train and have decided that Darnold’s upcoming performance in the playoffs will determine his future in Minnesota.
“There are only two quarterbacks that are going to be drafted in the first half of the first round, Shadeur Sanders and Cam Ward. There are far more teams than that that are going to be looking for quarterbacks. So why wouldn’t one of those teams give up one of those high picks for J.J. McCarthy?” Greenberg concluded.
In reality, the Vikings are substantially more likely to keep McCarthy, per the original plan, and let Darnold play for another team. They don’t consider McCarthy a flyer or “maybe” asset.
But national voices will continue speculating about McCarthy’s fate until a decision is made on Darnold within the next two months.
McCarthy is 21 years old.
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.
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