Bleacher Report Identifies Wild Trade Candidate for Vikings
Before too long, the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason will begin, and free-agent, draft, and trade theories will turn white-hot.
Bleacher Report Identifies Wild Trade Candidate for Vikings
First, however, the Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams this Monday night in the Wildcard Round of the postseason. Minnesota is favored to win by a point or two.
Yet, when the offseason hits, Bleacher Report believes the purple team will showcase a Top 10 trade candidate around the business — quarterback J.J. McCarthy. That’s right. BR’s Kristopher Knox outlined the league’s top trade candidates this week, and McCarthy checked in at No. 10.
“McCarthy missed his entire rookie season following knee surgery, and while he was sidelined, Sam Darnold emerged as a Pro Bowl quarterback. Darnold is an impending free agent, and if the Vikings pay to retain him, they may also have to commit to him as the QB of the future,” Knox wrote. “Secondly, other teams are sure to inquire about McCarthy if Darnold is re-signed. The 2025 draft class features no ‘sure things’ at quarterback, and trading multiple picks for McCarthy may be more attractive than trading up for Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders.”
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 missed all of 2024 due to a torn meniscus.
Knox added, “At the very least, we can expect McCarthy’s name to tumble through the rumor mill throughout the early offseason. As for teams that could pursue the soon-to-be 22-year-old, we have to consider those that don’t have a long-term quarterback plan and who fell outside of the top three in the draft order. The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets should be considered prime candidates.”
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.
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 a “maybe” asset.
National publications, though, like Bleacher Report, will continue speculating about McCarthy’s fate until a decision is made on Darnold within the next two months.
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 Vikings 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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