Vikings Get Dragged into Wildly Bad Trade Idea
The Minnesota Vikings should trade J.J. McCarthy, a 1st-Round pick, and a 2nd-Rounder to the Indianapolis Colts for quarterback Daniel Jones — that’s where we are in November 2025, according to The Athletic.
A new national take drags the Vikings into a wildly bad trade idea, sparking backlash and raising questions about where the rumor even came from.
McCarthy has struggled in his first five starts, for the most part, and the team should investigate acquiring Jones accordingly, says the theory from Jeff Howe.
And the trade take is just bad for everybody. Bad all around.
Trade Idea: Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy & Two High-Round Draft Picks to Colts for Daniel Jones
The proposal is just terrible.
The Proposal from Howe
Shield your eyes. Here’s the idea from Howe: “If the Colts use the franchise tag on Jones and negotiations stall, would the Vikings consider swooping in? It’d cost the Vikings a pair of first-round picks, plus the price of the contract, so they would need extreme conviction in Jones’ potential to lead them to years of playoff success.”
“But with the roster in pretty good shape and a very strong coaching staff in place, the Vikings could withstand the price. It’d be risky for the Colts to let Jones walk after cycling through Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Anthony Richardson in the post-Andrew Luck era.”
Jones played for the Vikings in 2024, making the would-be trade a reunion deal. That’s right: for the low price — sarcasm — of just two 1st-Rounders, Jones could be back in the saddle with the purple team.
Howe then modified his own deal, “Do they really want to enter the dating pool once again? But what if the sides modified the compensation terms from two first-rounders to a single first-round pick, a second-rounder and McCarthy?”
“That’d help the Colts recoup much of the compensation from the Sauce Gardner trade, and they could continue to try building around McCarthy — all for the price of a free-agent flier on Jones.”
Any team trading two 1st-Rounders for Jones is absolutely ludicrous. Twilight zone-level bad.
Bad for the Vikings
VikingsTerritory would freak out if Indianapolis requested a single 1st-Rounder for Jones, let alone two. What on earth?
Jones began the 2025 season hot, even nibbling at MVP contention, but his true colors have started to surface when the Colts have played some formidable opponents. Jones is no longer all the rage in the NFL, and in fact, he could very well turn into a pumpkin before too long.
Meanwhile, trading McCarthy next offseason would be admitting a total gaffe. “Upgrading” to Jones feels like one of the worst possible ideas, as Jones’ ceiling is pretty well defined. In his best stretches, he’s around the 12th- or 13th-best passer in football. But when the lows hit, he’s dreadful.
If McCarthy doesn’t pan out, Minnesota must go back to the drawing board in the draft. Retread quarterbacks have not worked out in Vikings history — it’s the main reason the franchise has not won a Super Bowl. It cannot draft and develop a quarterback. Fran Tarkenton was the last example — about six decades ago.
Bad for the Colts
And why would the Colts want McCarthy? If Minnesota no longer wants him, it will mean that he stinks and didn’t show the necessary improvement strides down the stretch of 2025.
Indianapolis just fired off an ultra-expensive swap for cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Colts are in it to win now. Finagling a deal for McCarthy would signal a return to quarterback growth and development, which they just ended with Anthony Richardson.
In their current forms, the Colts already have a McCarthy. His last name is Richardson. Fix him.
The Alternative if McCarthy Doesn’t Improve
If one assumes that McCarthy does not play much better in the seven final games of 2025, Minnesota will need a contingency plan for 2026 — and not just re-signing Carson Wentz or John Wolford.
That could be an extended examination of current QB2 Max Brosmer. That could be a trade for a passer like Kyler Murray or Will Levis. Or, more realistically, the Vikings could simply use another high-round draft pick on another quarterback.
What Minnesota does not need is a Daniel Jones experiment.
More Context from Howe
Howe also noted in his proposal, “Daniel Jones has largely been very good this season, even if he was leaking oil before the Indianapolis Colts’ bye week. Assuming the good times continue to roll, there’s no reason to overthink this thing: They should keep this going with an offseason contract extension. But let’s overthink it anyway.”
“Jones had a cup of coffee last season with the Minnesota Vikings, who are in a tough spot with second-year QB J.J. McCarthy. The 2024 first-rounder has five starts to his resume, so he’s still very much at the beginning of his learning curve.”
If Minnesota wanted Jones back, it could have signed him eight months ago.
Howe continued, “But having seen what the Vikings could do with above-average quarterback play in 2024 (14-3 record), it’s fair to wonder if they’ll lose patience with the developmental process.”
“It’s an extreme idea, perhaps a long shot bordering on the precipice of a no-shot hypothetical. But if the Colts ultimately determine they’ve reached their ceiling with Jones, and the Vikings don’t want to sacrifice short-term wins for McCarthy’s long-term development, this could be a match.”
It’s worth noting that life will be much easier for the purple team if McCarthy just turns the corner to competent performance. Fingers crossed.
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