3 Vikings Narratives That Just Don’t Hold Up This Week
Minnesota Vikings Nopedy Nopes are back from VikingsTerritory after a couple of weeks off.
These 3 Vikings narratives are making the rounds this week, but none of them hold water. Here’s why fans and media might be getting it all wrong: Vikings nopey nopes.
The weekly Nopedy Nopes article focuses on narratives that are flatly false, misleading, or too bombastic to be taken seriously.
These are the Vikings Nopedy Nopes during the first week of training camp.
Vikings Nopedy Nopes | July 27th, 2025
The three main Vikings items of the week that just don’t move the needle.
The Nopedy Nope: Anthony Richardson has been traded to Minnesota.
This one was borderline unbelievable.
A website called “The Wrightway Network” published an article point-blank claiming that Minnesota had traded for Richardson.
Marissa Myers of TWSN wrote about the make-believe trade, “Indianapolis Colts Trade Anthony Richardson to the Minnesota Vikings. The Minnesota Vikings are entering their first season with JJ McCarthy as their new franchise quarterback. With McCarthy returning from a knee injury that kept him sidelined throughout all of his rookie season, easing him back in will be crucial for the Vikings.”
“If McCarthy has to miss anytime again this season, though, the depth behind him in the room isn’t too inspiring as it is just Sam Howell and Brett Rypien. Coincidentally enough, the Vikings had Daniel Jones as the backup on the roster last season, but saw him choose to sign with the Colts instead of signing back.”
Everything about the article’s title was entirely fabricated.
She added, “In a full circle moment, the Vikings could just end up trading for the quarterback who Jones left to compete with in Anthony Richardson. This move for Anthony Richardson would result in Richardson being on the bench as the backup behind McCarthy, but it would also be a situation beneficial for Richardson.”
“Much like it was for Daniel Jones last season, being able to learn from an offensive-minded coach like Kevin O’Connell could do Richardson some good and give him the best situation to advance his development.”
That website produced an article with a totally false headline to bait readers and then walked back its fake trade in the body of the text.
Pure clickbait.
The Verdict: Anthony Richardson has not been traded to Minnesota.
The Nopedy Nope: J.J. McCarthy has a one-year trial in 2025 before Minnesota would look elsewhere.
Believe it or not, this theory originated from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, a well-respected figure.
Barwnell opined Thursday, “It would be silly to suggest the Vikings have soured on McCarthy, simply because they’ve barely seen the 2024 first-round pick on the field, as he tore his right meniscus after 17 pass attempts in the first preseason game a year ago.”
“They are hardly naive to the benefits of having a first-round pick on a rookie contract at the most important position in sports, and while they traded for Sam Howell, this is McCarthy’s job in 2025. If he plays as well as Darnold did last season and Minnesota returns to the playoffs, there won’t be any quarterback debate.”
Perhaps under a different head coach, Minnesota might have a short leash for a young quarterback, but Kevin O’Connell is in this thing with McCarthy for the long haul.
Barnwell on the one-year trial: “If McCarthy disappoints, would the Vikings be more aggressive in bringing in a veteran to compete with the 22-year-old in 2026? Jones will be a free agent, and Darnold’s three-year deal with the Seahawks is essentially a one-year pact for $39 million.”
“Kirk Cousins, who played well in O’Connell’s offense before tearing his right Achilles midway through the 2023 season, will likely be a free agent after eventually parting ways with the Falcons. McCarthy would still be the favorite to start versus those experienced passers, but he might have more riding on his debut season than other unproven signal-callers across the league.”
The Verdict: Minnesota won’t cut ties with McCarthy next offseason if he struggles in 2025. It’s not the way they do business. A catastrophic, career-altering injury might be the only way to subtract McCarthy from the purple team’s future.
The Nopedy Nope: Colin Cowherd says that J.J. McCarthy isn’t that good and that he struggled in late-game situations at Michigan.
Cowherd said this week on his show: “J.J. McCarthy, you’re going to see it very quickly — is not what people think. J.J. McCarthy is a ‘C’ quarterback. You ever seen J.J. McCarthy’s fourth quarter college stats and playing from behind fourth quarter stats in college, with Michigan and Harbaugh and that O-line? They’re terrible.”
Michigan rarely played from behind with McCarthy in the saddle. And adjudicating his late-game performance as an underclassman might be a little silly.
On Michigan’s offensive line, well, it’s not like Minnesota’s current offensive line is terrible. It used to be. Not anymore.
The Verdict: It’s fine that Cowherd doesn’t like McCarthy, but he better be ready to admit if he’s wrong about him.
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