The Minnesota Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy 10th overall last year with the belief that the star Michigan quarterback would be the team’s signal-caller of the future.
But McCarthy suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the preseason, and free agent signing Sam Darnold has led the Vikings to a surprising 14-2 record with a chance to win the NFC North and the conference’s No. 1 overall seed on Sunday with a win over the Detroit Lions.
Darnold, who was 21-35 as an NFL starter prior to signing a one-year, $10 million deal this offseason, has been a revelation for Minnesota and has positioned himself to earn a hefty raise in 2025. Darnold’s play – he ranks fourth in the NFL in passing yards and fifth in touchdowns – plus McCarthy’s injury will force the Vikings to make some difficult decisions this offseason.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, teams are expected to inquire about McCarthy’s availability.
“There’s a lot of hypotheticals there… but what I would say is this: that in a limited quarterback draft class, where there are far more teams that need quarterbacks than quarterbacks who actually can step in right away, I definitely think teams will be checking in with the Vikings to see if they have any interest in trading JJ McCarthy,” Schefter said during an appearance this week on appearance on “Unsportsmanlike.” “Now they may say we don’t, and that’s the end of it, but do I think teams will explore that option that you just raised here already…of course. Because JJ McCarthy, would have been a top, if not the top quarterback prospect in this draft.”
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Vikings want Darnold back next season. A long-term contract for Darnold could block McCarthy’s path to playing time, but Minnesota could use the franchise tag on the fellow former first-round pick. The price would be steep, with value for a quarterback on the franchise tag at $41.3 million for 2025, but Minnesota is estimated to have $78.1 million available.
Darnold also is only 27, and a long-term deal could be plausible for quarterback coming off a breakout season. If Minnesota does listen to offers on McCarthy, Schefter believes it could receive a substantial return for the 21-year-old who went 27-1 as a starter for the Wolverines and led them to a national title in 2023.
“Yes, he’s coming off the ACL,” Schefter said. “So what? Does it really matter? And if the Vikings decided that they wanted to trade him, which I don’t know if they will, I believe they would get back everything they put into him and then some. It would be a one and then some.”
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