There’s a Horrendous J.J. McCarthy Trade Idea Out There
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell unloaded dozens of trade ideas this week that could shake down during the draft, and among them, J.J. McCarthy to the Los Angeles Rams leaked out.
The Rams angle sounds flashy, but McCarthy still matters too much to the Minnesota Vikings’ 2026 quarterback picture.
The Vikings have provided no hints about wanting to trade McCarthy, but left up to Barnwell, he’d be packaged to Los Angeles for a slight move up the draftboard.
Minnesota Has No Business Selling Low on McCarthy
Let him marinate behind Matthew Stafford, they say.
Barnwell: Send McCarthy to LAR in a Deal for Pick No. 13
For Barnwell, McCarthy would remain in a similar offense, as Sean McVay in Los Angeles and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota run similar systems.
He wrote about the trade, “Rams get: 1-18, 3-97, QB J.J. McCarthy. Vikings get: 1-13. At the right price, though, taking a flier on McCarthy would make sense. The Vikings are unlikely to move forward with the 2024 ninth overall pick as their quarterback of the future, having signed Kyler Murray to take over as their starter in 2026 before deciding on McCarthy’s fifth-year option after the season.”
“Getting something for the 23-year-old quarterback would make sense if the organization has decided it is going to be heading in a different direction. This move up would get the Vikes ahead of the Bucs and Jets if they want to look toward secondary help in Round 1.”‘
It’s unclear who the Vikings would target at No. 13; perhaps Ohio State safety Caleb Downs if he tumbled on draft night.
Barnwell continued, “This trade would value McCarthy as being worth the 112th pick in a typical draft by the Johnson chart, a selection in the middle of the fourth round. That feels about right to me. And the Rams would be on the hook for $6.6 million over the next two years, which isn’t much for a developmental backup quarterback.”
“Could McCarthy’s solid final four games of the 2025 season (admittedly against dismal opposing defenses) portend growth and some future success? The Rams wouldn’t be paying much to find out.”
McCarthy as Cannon Fodder in a Trade?
If one polled Vikings fans, most wouldn’t want McCarthy to leave just yet, holding out hope that the 23-year-old hasn’t reached final form. After all, he looked great at times in 2025.
And they especially don’t want McCarthy to leave as cannon fodder in a trade up five spots on a draftboard. He’d feel like deal sweetener. If McCarthy is traded, the Vikings need something tangible for him, a player or pick the world can point to, saying, “See …. we got this for McCarthy.”
Tossing him into a draft trade as a throwaway commodity doesn’t move the needle.
Vikings Not Ready to Move On
It’s also worth noting that the Vikings still have plans for McCarthy. Injuries have rattled the start of his career, but there’s a decent chance that those even out, and McCarthy gets a chance to strut his stuff as QB1.
In fact, one year ago, Minnesota got rid of another quarterback too early. His name was Sam Darnold, and the Vikings didn’t re-sign him in 2025 free agency. What did he do thereafter? Signed with Seattle Seahawks. What happened then? Darnold won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks, undermining Minnesota’s horrid decision-making and prompting general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to be fired at the end of January.
There’s a decent chance that McCarthy would take off elsewhere if traded, especially with McVay’s help.
McCarthy’s Outlook in Minnesota
Still, McCarthy has faced a challenging offseason that significantly impacted his long-term prospects.
Consider that the Vikings fired the general manager who drafted McCarthy just 3.5 weeks after the regular season ended. The timing was crucial because it provides the organization with a convenient exit strategy if McCarthy doesn’t develop as planned. Later, Minnesota can attribute the pick to the previous regime, Adofo-Mensah, and cite his dismissal as the start of a necessary overhaul.
Furthermore, O’Connell faced a pivotal quarterback decision. He could have chosen a veteran to challenge and refine McCarthy during training camp — someone like Jimmy Garoppolo. Alternatively, he could have pursued a high-profile quarterback ready to take command immediately.
He chose Murray.
This decision fundamentally changed McCarthy’s situation. Barring injury, Murray is expected to start Week 1, significantly reducing McCarthy’s margin for error.
Motivation shouldn’t be an issue for McCarthy. Injuries have sidelined him for about 70% of NFL games over the past two seasons, a major concern surrounding his potential. Murray also has a history of injuries, has missed 26% of his career games, and typically starts around 12 games per season.
If Murray’s injury pattern continues, McCarthy could be thrust into the starting role, giving him his best chance to reclaim QB1 status. His performance then would be critical. He showed genuine potential in 2025, especially in the 4th Quarter, and after Week 14, his performance rivaled that of the league’s sixth-best quarterbacks.
A single strong relief appearance could be transformative, allowing him to seize the job and keep it. In that vein, due to Murray’s injury history, Minnesota should keep McCarthy and avoid trade ideas like Barnwell’s.
That’s why trading him as a small portion of a draft-night trade is silly.
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