New Destination for J.J. McCarthy Enters Vikings Rumor Mill
Some don’t believe the Minnesota Vikings can keep Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy in the same quarterback room — it’s unclear why that’s not possible — which has created a handful of McCarthy trade rumors. One such example lands McCarthy with the Pittsburgh Steelers via trade, according to NFL writer Sayre Bedinger.
The latest McCarthy rumor says more about offseason rumors than Minnesota’s real plans.
McCarthy probably won’t start for the 2026 Vikings, and that’s code for a trade fate per some theorists.
A Steelers Theory Circles around McCarthy
Maybe McCarthy can just take over for Aaron Rodgers, they say.
Bedinger: Steelers Are a Trade Fit for McCarthy
Although the Vikings have expressed no plans to trade McCarthy, Bedinger sized up landing spots this week, with the Steelers, New York Jets, and Los Angeles Rams getting the nod.
He wrote about McCarthy to Pittsburgh, “The long-term outlook at the quarterback position for the Pittsburgh Steelers is extremely unclear. Aaron Rodgers is probably going to come back for the 2026 season, but after this year, who knows what the Steelers are going to do? They’ll be at the mercy of wherever they fall in the draft, or stuck in the purgatory that is cycling through veteran retreads.”
“There is no long-term vision right now, which is why taking a shot on McCarthy’s upside and getting him in the building with Mike McCarthy could make a lot of sense. He’d be able to spend a year learning from Aaron Rodgers, getting acclimated to the offense, and really giving the Steelers a reason to not be desperate in next year’s draft. It also keeps them flexible there.”
It’s unclear what kind of trade package McCarthy would fetch, but a safe bet might be around a 4th-Rounder.
Vikings in No Hurry to Trade McCarthy
While McCarthy trade theories are understandable with Murray’s arrival, assuming the Vikings will ship him elsewhere is really just a surface-level take. That is — an outsider sees Murray in the mix and thinks, “Oh, that means McCarthy will be traded, huh?”
Minnesota’s brass has spoken positively all offseason, and the club owns his contractual rights for the next three seasons. McCarthy is also just 23 years old.
Too, Murray has some injury concerns, missing about one-quarter of all starts since turning pro seven years ago. There’s a world where Murray gets hurt in 2026, McCarthy takes over the offense as the QB2, and never relinquishes his job because he has matured and improved in the backdrop.
Working with Another McCarthy
Could McCarthy in Pittsburgh work? Absolutely. The Steelers parted ways with Mike Tomlin three months ago, and they picked a rather shocking replacement in Mike McCarthy. The Bedinger proposal would mesh McCarthy with McCarthy.
Whether it’s accidental or a correlation, McCarthy (the coach) always has a good quarterback under center, whether that’s Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, or Dak Prescott. He personally helped to develop Rodgers, and that man will be a Hall of Famer in the next 10 years.
There are worse places to land for a quarterback’s development than Mike McCarthy’s tutelage, even if he isn’t the most inspiring head coach in the NFL.
Underwhelming Weaponry
In Pittsburgh, McCarthy would enjoy a mid-tier — that’s optimistic phrasing — stable of playmakers. The group would look like this:
- DK Metcalf
- Michael Pittman
- Jaylen Warren
- Rico Dowdle
- Pat Freiermuth
A quarterback like Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes could cook with that unit, but it’s not exactly deadly. Therefore, McCarthy might have to hope that Pittsburgh fostered one of its legendary defenses to succeed.
Bedinger also noted on the Jets as a landing spot for McCarthy, “Geno Smith is going to be the Jets’ starter this year, but they don’t have any long-term prospects at the position. And nobody is certain they’re going to get one in the 2026 NFL Draft. McCarthy has just two years left on his rookie contract, but that’s enough time for the Jets to get him in their system this year, possibly get him some starts, and maybe even give him a chance to compete for the QB1 gig as early as 2027.”
“The Jets should be one of the most open-minded teams at QB in the NFL right now, and it just so happens that general managerDarren Mougey did a ton of scouting with that 2024 quarterback class while he was with the Denver Broncos’ front office. They did a lot of work on McCarthy that offseason, so he’ll have a great report on him.”
McCarthy ranked dead last in almost all major quarterback efficiency metrics last year, though he played quite well in December and January.
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